The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest with regard to the Moscow City Court’s decision not to change the Lefortovo District Court’s ruling of November 28, 2016 on the extension until January 30, 2017 of detention of Roman Sushchenko - the Ukrainian journalist illegally detained this September in Russia under the fabricated charges.

Persistent rejection by the Russian judiciary to change the custody on other measure of restriction not involving detention and decision to proceed further with close door court sessions on this case clearly indicate that the psychological pressure on the Ukrainian citizen is kept and that the Russian judiciary system is politically biased.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands of the Russia authorities to stop immediately this legal arbitrariness and self-will and to release illegally detained Roman Sushchenko. The only claim the Kremlin can raise against him is about his impartial and unprejudiced professional reporting as a journalist on situation in and around Ukraine.