Court extends jail for Russians accused of fighting with separatists

The extended arrest of Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov was requested by the state prosecutor and granted by the court on December 23. Aleksandrov and Yerofeyev were detained in Ukraine's Luhansk region in May. Ukrainian investigators that month announced that they were suspected of terrorist activities and fighting alongside separatists in the east. The district court began hearing charges against them on November 10. Aleksandrov and Yerofeyev deny the charges. In a video published days after their capture, the two men said they were on active duty with the Russian military in eastern Ukraine when they were captured. Moscow contends Yerofeyev and Aleksandrov were no longer employed by the state when they were captured. Russia denies accusations that it is providing weapons, training, and personnel to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.