The Russian NTV journalists detained last week in Turkey were deported to Russia, the press service of the TV company reported on the official website.
"Our colleagues, employees of the program "Central Television" Alexey Petrushko and Ivan Malyshkin are already in Moscow. They arrived by a night flight. Everything is all right with them. We thank the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Embassy in Ankara and the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul for their help. And, of course, all our colleagues from the media who support us these days," the TV channel said.
On December 4 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation informed that Russian journalists Alexey Petrushko and Ivan Malyshkin, who were in Istanbul, stopped contacting. The Ministry indicated that the last full contact with them was on December 3, during which the Russians reported that they were detained by unknown people and taken somewhere. Earlier NTV TV company said that their employees stopped communicating with them after informing the editorial office about their detention by the police in the suburbs of Istanbul.
A source at the Turkish Foreign Ministry later told TASS that the journalists had been detained for not having accreditation near the building where Baykar Savunma, a company specializing in Turkish drones, is located. The company also manufactures the Bayraktar TB2 drone, which is in service with the Turkish army.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official site of NTV
Based on materials from TASS