RT Ruptly Producer Deported From Moldova

Producer of RT’s Ruptly video agency Alexei Amelyushkin has been deported from Chisinau, Moldova, RT's press service said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Amelyushkin went to Chisinau to cover anti-government protests in the central square of the city. Immediately after his arrival, the border guards and later the Moldovan prosecutors questioned the journalist and confiscated his video equipment.

"I was detained for about 5 hours. They do not give any documents on deportation and documents or even copies on the seizure of the drone [for taking pictures]. They say that all this will be sent by additional flights," Amelyushkin said before the takeoff from the airport in Chisinau to Moscow.

RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan said earlier in the day on Twitter that the Ruptly producer had been given no documents on the deportation and nothing was clear about the return of the equipment.

Earlier reports suggested that a LifeNews TV crew had been prevented from entering Moldova due to "accreditation problems."

On Sunday, mass protests erupted in Chisinau, with up to 100,000 anti-government protesters taking to the streets of Chisinau to demonstrate against the worsening economic situation and numerous corruption scandals.

The protesters demanded that top officials and parliament must resign, and the constitutional system must change so that the president is chosen by direct ballot, rather than by members of parliament.