MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. The Kremlin welcomes a Kiev court’s decision to release RIA Novosti Ukraine Chief Editor Kirill Vyshinsky from custody, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The Kremlin welcomes the decision to release Vyshinsky. We will refrain from making assessments for now. We welcome the decision," he said.

Peskov declined to answer a question as to whether Moscow would take any steps to meet Kiev halfway following the court ruling. "I have nothing more to say other than we welcome this decision. I have said that some consultations are underway and I don’t have anything to add," he noted.

A court in Kiev released Vyshinsky on his own recognizance earlier on Wednesday. The court ruled that the journalist is obliged to report to court upon demand, refrain from contacting witnesses in this case and notify the court about any changes concerning his place of residence and work. However, the journalist’s passport will be kept at the prosecutor’s office. Vyshinsky’s defense attorneys plan to request the return of his ID.

After the court ruling was announced, Vyshinsky told reporters that "at last, the court has made a fair decision."

Vyshinsky case

On May 15, 2018, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) carried out a large-scale operation against RIA Novosti Ukraine staff members, accusing them of high treason. The news outlet’s Chief Editor Kirill Vyshinsky was arrested. 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.

Charges against Vyshinsky are particularly based on a number of the journalist’s articles dedicated to the 2014 events in Crimea. If found guilty, the journalist may face up to 15 years.