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The case on the merits against chief of the Russian RIA Novosti's Kyiv office Kirill Vyshinsky, who was detained on May 15, 2018, on treason charges, will be considered by one of the district courts of Kyiv.

"Vyshinsky and his lawyers were informed about the completion of a pretrial investigation into the criminal proceedings and given access to pretrial investigation materials. Under Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine 'On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine,' the Kyiv Court of Appeal will decide which jurisdiction this case falls under," the press service of the Ukrainian-based Crimean prosecutor's office, which supervised the pretrial investigation conducted by the SBU Security Service's Main Directorate for Crimea, told UNIAN.

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The prosecutor's office also said the case against Vyshinsky would be transferred for consideration to one of the district courts of Kyiv, where the detainee would be transported from a detention center in Kherson.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the press secretary of the Ukrainian SBU Security Service's chief, Olena Gitlianska, said on May 15, 2018, SBU officers had 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 a 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.

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's lawyer said on May 16 his client had been transferred by Ukrainian law enforcers from Kyiv to Kherson for hearings on a preventive measure.

On May 17, the Kherson City Court chose Vyshinsky a preventive measure in the form of detention. In November, the court extended the arrest of the suspect until January 27, 2019.

On January 10, 2019, the pretrial investigation into Vyshinsky's case was completed.