KIEV, December 27. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Kherson court extended custody of RIA Novosti Ukraine’s Editor-in-Chief Kirill Vyshinsky until January 27, his lawyer Igor Mokin told TASS.

"The custody has been extended for a month until January 27," the lawyer said.

The court only partially satisfied a motion of the prosecutors, who asked to extend Vyshinsky’s custody until February 16. The lawyer noted that the court believed 30 days would be enough to complete the investigation.

The attorneys demanded releasing Vyshinsky upon his lawyer’s personal guarantees, but this motion was rejected.

The lawyer has announced plans to appeal the court’s decision. "We will definitely appeal this decision. The appeal will be filed soon," Mokin said.

On May 15, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) carried out a large-scale operation against RIA Novosti Ukraine staff members, accusing them of high treason. The news agency’s Editor-in-chief Kirill Vyshinsky was taken into custody. The journalist was then transferred to Kherson, where a city court arrested him for 60 days. His arrest was later extended until November 4.

The charges against Vyshinsky are particularly based on a number of articles dedicated to the 2014 events in Crimea. If found guilty, the journalist may face up to 15 years, but he pleaded not guilty.

Vyshinsky, originally a Ukrainian national, obtained Russian citizenship in 2015. He addressed Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko from the courtroom, renouncing his Ukrainian citizenship and saying he considered himself to be only a Russian national. He also addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for legal assistance in his release.