Vyshinsky Unveils Documentary on Residents of Ukraine's Conflict-Torn Donbas Region

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2019) Journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, the ex-RIA Novosti Ukraine portal head who currently serves as the executive director of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency, has unveiled his "People of Donbas" documentary, which showcases life in the conflict-torn region in eastern Ukraine.

"The civil war is ongoing in Donbas now, and it is reported daily in the news. The war has continued for five years, and I wanted to talk to the people of Donbas about what has happened to them during this time, how they have changed, how they imagine their future," Vyshinsky said.

Vyshinsky, who was recently freed from Ukrainian custody, said that the documentary consisted of eight episodes, which would be released weekly on RIA Novosti's YouTube channel.

Among the interviewees are rector of Donetsk National University Svetlana Bespalova, Gorlovka administration head Ivan Prikhodko, Director of the Gusak Emergency and Reconstructive Surgery Institute Emil Fistal and tv presenter Dmitry Kulikov, who is a native of the eastern Ukrainian town of Shakhtersk.

Vyshinsky was detained in Kiev on May 15, 2018, on suspicion of supporting the self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and treason. The court extended Vyshinsky's pre-trial detention eight times.

In September, Russia and Ukraine each released 35 convicted and detained persons, including Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who had been sentenced to 20 years in Russian for plotting acts of terrorism in Crimea, and 24 Ukrainian sailors, accused of violating the Russian maritime border. Vyshinsky was returned to Russia after being held in Ukraine's custody for over one year.

Rossiya Segodnya is an international media group that provides prompt, balanced and impartial coverage of key events around the world.