Being a Russian citizen, Vyshinsky said that he requested protection and asked Vladimir Putin to take all measures to have him released.
READ MORE: Kremlin on Possibility to Exchange Journalist Vyshinsky: No Initiatives So Far
He also separately thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for paying attention to his case and his attitude towards journalists in Ukraine.
"I will begin by thanking those who supported me all this time… Separately, I want to thank the international community for the attention paid to my humble person and attention to the situation: the persecution of journalists in Ukraine. I am sure that this, to some extent, reduced the pressure not only on me, but also on my colleagues," Vyshinsky said in court.
Kirill Vyshinsky said on Friday that he considered his arrest and further detention illegal, noting that the legal proceedings against him resembled a “torture”.
Vyshinsky urged Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Lyudmila Denisova to pay attention to his case, as legal proceedings against him violated human rights.
He added that it is senseless to challenge accusations, the verdict on his case is ready.
Ukrainian court ruled to uphold the decision to arrest Vyshinsky, according to the court ruling.
The Russian Foreign Ministry classified Kiev's actions against RIA Novosti Ukraine as an "outrage." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the actions of the Ukrainian authorities with respect to RIA Novosti Ukraine journalists were unacceptable, while the Russian embassy has delivered two protest notes to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demanding to stop violence against media workers.
