MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. Moscow’s Basmanny district court authorized on Tuesday in-patient psychiatric examination for Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko accused of complicity in the death of Russian journalists near the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk last summer.

Thus, it dismissed a complaint of the defense, demanding an out-patient expertise.

Investigators had doubts as to Savchenko’s mental condition and recommended an in-patient mental examination, the court ruling said.

The judge also said that the investigator had pointed to some circumstances that could have affected Savchenko’s health, including military service in trouble spots, death of colleagues, participation in military operations, constant pressure, etc.

The court session was held behind closed doors as medical information about Savchenko was read out, but Savchenko’s representative was present.

Case against Savchenko

According to the investigation, during hostilities near Luhansk last July Savchenko, the navigator-operator of a Mi-24 helicopter, joined the Aidar battalion. She spotted the location of a group of Russian journalists from the VGTRK television channel and other civilians near Lugansk and transmitted the coordinates to a mortar battery. The mortar shell fired at the target killed two Russian journalists - Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin.

She was detained in Russia in June and placed in custody in Voronezh. Then Savchenko was convoyed to Moscow for a psychological and psychiatric expertise.

The court ruled to place Savchenko under arrest until October 30. In late October Basmanny district court extended a term in custody for her until February 13, 2015.