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German Foreign Ministry concerned over RIA Novosti Ukraine situation — spokesman

The German government is following the situation surrounding the RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency

© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

BERLIN, May 18. /TASS/. The German government is following the situation surrounding the RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency with concern and calls on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the transparency of their actions, respect the principles of the rule of law and international standards, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said at a briefing on Friday.

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Russia demands Ukraine immediately set journalist Kirill Vyshinsky free

"We have been following the situation with concern and call for transparency, respect for the principles of the rule of law and international standards concerning freedom of the media," he said.

Vyshinsky case

On May 15, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) carried out a large-scale operation against RIA Novosti Ukraine staff members, accusing them of high treason. The news agency’s Chief Editor Kirill Vyshinsky was detained outside his home early on Tuesday. Soon after that, searches were conducted in the news agency’s Kiev office and press center, as well as in some journalists’ apartments. At the same time, the SBU issued a statement claiming that "a network of media structures, which Moscow used for carrying out a hybrid war" against Kiev had been exposed.

The Russian embassy in Kiev demanded that the Ukrainian authorities take all the necessary measures to stop violence against media workers, immediately release the detained journalist, launch an impartial investigation into the incident and punish those abusing power. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said that Moscow had sent two notes of protest to Kiev over Vyshinsky’s case.

The SBU called over 40 witnesses for questioning in Vyshinsky’s case. The chief editor was taken to the city of Kherson, where the city court arrested him for 60 days. The high treason charge against him is particularly based on a number of the journalist’s articles dedicated to the 2014 events in Crimea.

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Musk concurs that civil war looming in West

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Russian international reserves up $2.5 bln in one week exceeding $603.2 bln — Central Bank

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Moscow slams NATO drills near Russian borders as inflammatory

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Russian court arrests in absentia four foreign agents charged with terrorism

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Global community condemns use of terrorists in geopolitical struggle — Russian official

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Kremlin vows to resolve situation with Turkish Airlines refusing service to Russians

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West bends sanctions rules when it suits them — Kremlin

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Russian troops wipe out Ukrainian UAV production workshop over past day

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Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

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Transfer of US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine cannot be justified — Russian ambassador

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Swiss conference on Ukraine undermines European security — Russian diplomat

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There is confirmed evidence of his connections with French secret services

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Kiev troops may strike targets in Crimea with ATACMS missiles — newspaper

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Fatah also said Hamas is currently seeking to become part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, but is doing this "only to preserve itself and survive"

China vows decisive response to US move to deploy intermediate missiles in Asia-Pacific

The Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson stressed that "US steps are posing a major threat to security and stability of regional players"

Russia says its battlegroup West seized better positions

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Reinforced Ukrainian battlegroup fails to break through Russian defenses in DPR — expert

Andrey Marochko added that the Ukrainians have also intensified artillery and drone attacks at Russian positions

Crocus City Hall attack funded using cryptocurrency, Russian finance watchdog says

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West views Europe as potential theater of military operations — Lukashenko

The number of operational and combat training activities in Poland and the Baltic states increases every year, the Belarusian President noted

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North Korea tests multiple rocket launchers produced at new defense enterprise

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Europe should be prepared to build relations with Russia post-Ukraine conflict — Macron

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White House alleges that Russia working on satellite carrying nuclear device

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