Kiev Arrests Russian State News Director Over 'Information War' Against Ukraine
Ukrainian state security agency searched Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and arrested the director of his office in Kiev on Tuesday, accusing RIA of being used in an "information war" by Russia against Ukraine.
The relationship between Kiev and Moscow dipped in the nose after Moscow annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported a separatist rebellion in the eastern Donbass region of Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 people.
Ukraine says Russia is fighting a "hybrid war" with Kiev, spreading propaganda while supporting separatists with troops and sophisticated weaponry and launching cyber attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, denied by Moscow.
The Kiev authorities have previously detained or deported several journalists to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda and support the cause of separatists.
"Law enforcers determined that they were used by the aggressor state in the context of a hybrid information war against Ukraine," the state security service (SBU) said in a statement.
RIA Novosti Ukraine confirmed the search for the place and the arrest of journalist Kirill Vyshinsky.
"We have a strong evidence base, which will be published after the completion of the investigation," said SBU press secretary Olena Gitlyanska on Facebook.
The Kremlin condemned the actions of Kiev and promised to protect the interests of Russian media.
"For now, we only know that there is a decisive action against the Russian media, this is enough for a harsh condemnation," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"We will act aggressively and protect the interests of the Russian media completely."