Ukraine's ambassador to France gets New Year postcard from Sushchenko

Ukraine's Ambassador to France Oleh Shamshur wrote this on his Twitter account.

"I have received a New Year postcard from Roman Sushchenko, painted by him on his own. I once again made sure of the incredible talent of the Ukrainian journalist! Hold on, Roman! We are continuing to do everything possible for your release!" the ambassador wrote.

As reported, Ukrinform's Paris-based correspondent Roman Sushchenko was illegally detained on September 30, 2016 in Moscow, where he arrived on a private trip. On October 7, 2016, he was charged with "espionage." Russia's FSB claimed that Sushchenko is a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The latter denied this allegation.

On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the verdict on September 12.

On October 8, it was reported that Sushchenko had been moved to a penal colony. On November 7, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) informed Ukraine's Embassy in Moscow that Sushchenko had been transferred to Penal Colony No. 11 of the FSIN directorate for the Kirov region (the town of Kirovo-Chepetsk, the village of Utrobino).