Detained Ukrainian Activists Released in Crimea

Automaidan activists Alexandra Ryazantseva and Katerina Butko, journalist Olena Maximenko, photographer Oles Kromplyas, and Evgen Rakhno have been released, Ukrainska Pravda has been told by Sergei Hajinov, one of Automaidan’s leaders.

"They have been freed. As far as I’m aware, they are already in Kherson region," Hajinov said.

As reported earlier, two groups of journalists and activists – Katerina Butko, Alexandra Ryazantseva, Evgen Rakhno, Oles Kromplyas and Olena Maximenko – were detained on March 9 on entering Crimea from the Kherson region.

After they were searched, one of the journalists was released because a relative who had Crimean residence arrived by car to collect him. The fate of the others was unknown, and the last contact with them was at about 16:00 on March 9.

It was later reported that the three detained journalists were taken to the Sevastopol security service offices, while the Automaidan activists were taken to a Berkut [riot police] base near the checkpoint, and later to the Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol. 

This article republished from Ukrainska Pravda with kind permission.

Original article here in Ukrainian.