Poland’s Foreign Ministry: Russia uses Ukrainians as hostages

“Circumstances of the arrest of Ukrainian journalist and Paris-based correspondent of Ukrinform news agency, Roman Sushchenko, as well as serious charges against him raised concerns,” reads the statement. According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, this situation leads to “further escalation of tense Moscow-Kyiv relations”. "The international community is seriously concerned about another arrests, as well as the previous ones, harsh judgments by Russian courts against the Ukrainian citizens, who during show trials are sentenced to long-term prison terms, and whom later the  Russian side de facto uses as hostages – this doesn’t not facilitate the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and complicates the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” reads the statement.