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Ukrainian court extends detention for 2 Russian servicemen captured in the east

Associated Press
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Russian special forces captain Yevgeny Yerofeyev stands in a cage during a trial hearing at the Holosiivskyi District Court in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. Russians Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev were captured by Ukraine’s forces in mid-May in the Lugansk region, in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has claimed that the detainees are Russian servicemen, while Russia’s Defense Ministry has said the Russians "were not active servicemen of Russia’s". (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov) (The Associated Press)

Russian special forces captain Yevgeny Yerofeyev, left, and Sgt. Alexander Alexandrov, captured while fighting in war-torn eastern Ukraine, sit in a cage during a trial hearing at the Holosiivskyi District Court in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov) (The Associated Press)

Russian special forces captain Yevgeny Yerofeyev, left, and Sgt. Alexander Alexandrov stand in a cage during a trial hearing at the Holosiivskyi District Court in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. Russians Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev were captured by Ukraine’s forces in mid-May in the Lugansk region, in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has claimed that the detainees are Russian servicemen, while Russia’s Defense Ministry has said the Russians "were not active servicemen of Russia’s". (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov) (The Associated Press)

A Kiev court has extended the detention of two Russian servicemen captured in eastern Ukraine in May, ruling that they will remain in jail for at least two more months.

Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev have acknowledged being Russian servicemen and said they were on a reconnaissance mission. Russia's Defense Ministry, however, said they had resigned from active duty in December.

Russia has denied sending troops to Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists have been fighting government troops since April 2014. At least 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Yerofeyev told journalists during a break in Tuesday's court session he was under constant pressure from investigators to provide information.

The court also turned down a defense request to move the trial to eastern Ukraine. No trial date has been set.