MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. The investigation has presented official charges with espionage to Ukraine’s citizen Roman Sushchenko, his lawyer Mark Feigin told TASS on Friday.

"Charges have been presented," the lawyer said. "The investigator continues presenting the background."

The court had earlier authorized Sushchenko’s detention until November 30 on suspicion of espionage.

As the Center for Public Relations of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said, Roman Sushchenko, allegedly a staff member of the main intelligence department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, had been detained while conducting an espionage operation. According to the center, "the Ukrainian national was purposefully collecting information on the Russian Armed Forces and National Guard, constituting state secrets, the disclosure of which could have undermined Russia’s defense capabilities."

However, Sushchenko has pleaded not guilty. According to his lawyer Mark Feygin, his client is a reporter of the Ukrinform news agency in France 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."