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Ukrainian citizen involved in 2014 abduction of Russian journalists established

In June 2014, two employees of Russia’s Zvezda TV channel travelling by taxi from Donetsk to Dnepropetrovsk were kidnapped by the members of Right Sector

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The Russian Investigative Committee has established the Ukrainian national involved in the abduction of two employees of Russia’s Zvezda TV channel in southeastern Ukraine in 2014, the committee’s spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said.

"During the joint work by the Russian Investigative Committee and operative services the complicity of deputy commander of the Ukrainian Right Sector (outlawed in Russia) volunteer corps, Ukrainian citizen Valentin Manko in kidnapping the Russian journalists has been established. A decision was adopted to involve him as a defendant for committing crimes under Article 126 of Section 144 of the Russian Criminal Code (‘Abduction of individuals, obstruction of journalists’ activities’)," Petrenko said.

In June 2014, two employees of Russia’s Zvezda TV channel travelling by taxi from Donetsk to Dnepropetrovsk, were stopped at one of the roadblocks. "Under instructions from Manko, Right Sector members kidnapped the two Russians threatening them with weapons and brought them to Dnepropetrovsk. Within 24 hours, the journalists were illegally held by Right Sector fighters," the spokesperson added.