KIEV, July 13. /TASS/. Lawyers for RIA Novosti Ukraine Editor-in-Chief Kirill Vyshinsky will appeal against the ruling of Kherson City Court to prolong his arrest until September 13 on Friday, his lawyer Andrei Domansky told TASS.

"The notice of appeal has been prepared. The documents will be sent by post to Kherson City Court this afternoon," he said.

On July 11, the court in Kherson extended his imprisonment for two months without a chance to be bailed out. The court left the lawyer’s request to bail Vyshinsky out unsatisfied.

On May 15, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) carried out a massive operation against RIA Novosti Ukraine’s staff, having searched the agency’s central office in Kiev, its press center and flats of some reporters. The agency’s editor-in-chief, Kirill Vyshinsky, was ultimately arrested on charges of treason.

On May 17, Kherson City Court arrested Vyshinsky for two months. On June 1, Kherson Regional Court of Appeals denied the lawyers’ appeal and left the ruling in force. The journalist is facing up to 15 years behind bars. On July 6, Ukraine’s prosecutors charged Vyshinsky with the illegal use of weapons.

Vyshinsky is a Ukrainian and Russian citizen; he obtained Russian citizenship in 2015. The journalist addressed Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko from the courtroom ahead of the court of appeal’s verdict, saying that he will surrender Ukrainian citizenship and that he considers himself to be a Russian citizen only. He also addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to provide legal assistance in his release. The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Kiev drop all the charges against Vyshinsky and release him immediately.