REUTERS

The Kremlin spokesman has refused to comment on the issue of a possible swap of 24 Ukrainian POW sailors for former chief of the Russian RIA Novosti's Kyiv office, Kirill Vyshinsky.

"I will leave this question without comment," Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow, according to a UNIAN correspondent in the Russian Federation.

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He stressed Moscow was monitoring the situation with the Russian journalist and hopes he will be free "better sooner than later."

At the same time, Peskov said there would be no other comments on the issue.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine in May 2018 conducted raids in the office of RIA Novosti Ukraine in Kyiv. Later, it became known that Vyshinsky was detained and indicted on charges of high treason.

The SBU and prosecutors had uncovered the illegal activity of the Russian-controlled media chain in Ukraine. It was established that in spring 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea, Vyshinsky produced anti-Ukrainian materials and received a medal "For the Return of Crimea" from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the SBU said. Vyshinsky jointly with several other journalists started actively supporting the terrorist organizations in Donbas, the "DPR" and the "LPR," after his return from Crimea in 2014.

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Deputy head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Kononenko said Vyshinsky had been paid EUR 53,000 every month for discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Vyshinsky was arrested in keeping with a ruling of Kherson's city court. On February 8, 2019, the court decided to extend his detention until April 8.

On January 10, 2019, the pretrial investigation into Vyshinsky's case was completed. Prosecutors sent his indictment to Kyiv's Podilsky district court.

The court began the trial on April 4, 2019.

On May 7, Vyshinsky's remand term was extended until July 22.

Another court hearing in the case against Vyshinsky will be held today, July 15.