Turkey releases two Russian television journalists after arrests

December 8th, 2020

Awake Goy

Turkey has released two Russian journalists, who were arrested last week on suspicion of filming a drone factory without authorisation.

A court in Istanbul ordered the release of Alexei Petrushko and cameraman Ivan Malyshkin, a senior Turkish official has stated, without providing further details.

The two journalists, who work for the Russian television channel NTV, were arrested on Thursday in Istanbul, according to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry.

“They arrived in Istanbul for filming, but have received neither permission nor accreditation,” a source at the Ministry stated.

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin had expressed hope for the “imminent release” of the two journalists

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow diplomats were “in contact with the Turkish side” to resolve the case.

Relations between Turkey and Russia have warmed in recent years under presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, but the two remain opposed on many issues, including the recent dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh.