Savchenko goes on trial in Russia

Savchenko pleaded not guilty when asked by the judge about her position regarding the case. She is charged with complicity in the murder of two Russian journalists who covered the eastern Ukraine conflict in 2014. Savchenko denies the charges, and spent more than 80 days on a hunger strike to protest her detention. Human rights groups and Western governments have joined Kyiv in calling for her release. Her lawyer, Mark Feygin, tweeted that journalists were being barred from entering the courtroom on Tuesday in the southern Russian town of Donetsk, close to eastern Ukraine. Savchenko told the court she was innocent, saying the case against her is a lie from start to finish. She faces 25 years in jail if found guilty of complicity in the killing of the two journalists and of crossing into Russia illegally. Savchenko says she was spirited into Russia by the eastern Ukraine separatists after being captured in a daylong battle in June 2014. Her defence team says it has proof she was already in captivity at the time of the two reporters' deaths.