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OSCE urges Ukraine authorities not to arrest and deport foreign journalists

Russia’s state-run nationwide television channel reported earlier in the day that its journalist Anna Kurbatova was abducted in Kiev on Wednesday

KIEV, August 30./TASS/. The European security agency has urged Ukraine to stop deporting foreign journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media said on Wednesday.

"I call on Ukraine not to arrest and deport journalists from other OSCE States," Harlem Desir said in a tweet.

Channel One, which is Russia’s state-run nationwide television channel, reported earlier in the day that its journalist Anna Kurbatova was abducted in Kiev on Wednesday.

According to the Rossiya-24 television channel, "Stavropol-born Anna Kurbatova, 29, repeatedly received threats over her coverage of events in Ukraine."

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"On August 26 she was blacklisted on the Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) website outlawed in Russia," the Rossiya-24 TV channel reported. "Anna was accused of biased coverage of the military parade timed for Ukraine’s Independence Day. She was also accused of manipulating with socially significant information and of participation in anti-Ukrainian propaganda."

Later on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service said Russia’s Anna Kurbatova will be deported to Russia. "At the moment all necessary documents are being readied for her official expulsion," Ukrainian security service SBU spokeswoman Yelena Gitlyanskaya said in Facebook.

"The same will happen to everybody who may take the liberty of defaming Ukraine," she added.

Kurbatova was born in Stavropol. Her latest seven reports aired on Channel 1 concerned the situation in Ukraine. On the eve of her abduction she filmed a report on the persecution of journalists in Ukraine. Several days before that Channel 1 broadcast her report about the military parade held on Ukraine’s Independence Day. In the report, she called the parade "the march of dependence" adding that the date was "a sad holiday". According to the journalist, Kiev has returned "to the turbulent 90s," while Ukraine "is absolutely dependent on America and Europe".

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