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Moscow court extends custody for Ukrainian accused of spying

Ukrainian national Roman Sushchenko faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty

Roman Sushchenko detained by the Russian federal security service Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

Roman Sushchenko detained by the Russian federal security service

© Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. A Moscow court ruled on Monday to extend the custody for Ukrainian national Roman Sushchenko accused of spying until January 30, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom.

The Lefortovsky court’s session was held behind the closed doors as the materials include highly classified information. The court satisfied a motion of investigators.

Sushchenko faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Read also

Russia’s FSB calls to extend arrest of Ukrainian accused of spying

Russia’s FSB earlier said that Col. Sushchenko, a staff member of the main intelligence department of Ukraine’s defense ministry, was detained in Moscow on September 30 "while on a spy mission." Sushchenko collected secret information on Russia’s Armed Forces and the National Guard and the disclosure could have undermined Russia’s defense capabilities, it said.

The Ukrainian pleads not guilty to the charges.

Lawyer Mark Feygin said his client is a reporter of the Ukrinform news agency in Paris and he came to Moscow on vacation to visit his relatives. The Ukrainian news agency confirmed this information saying that Sushchenko had been a staff member since 2002 and was "a journalist with a long-term impeccable professional reputation."

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