The Court of Appeal in Milan has acquitted Ukrainian National Guard soldier Vitaly Markiv and ordered his release from custody. The nightmare for the young Ukrainian soldier which began on 30 June 2017 is over, but questions should certainly be asked in Italy about he ever came to be arrested and held in custody for three and a half years. The prosecution’s case was heavily influenced by Russian propaganda sources which were used to justify a slanted view of the military conflict in Donbas, eastern Ukraine and the deaths of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian interpreter Andrei Mironov in crossfire near Sloviansk on May 24, 2014.
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Halya Coynash: Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Markiv acquitted and freed in Italy
Activists hold a picture depicting Ukrainian soldier Vitaly Markiv as they shout "Free Markiv!" during a rally at the Italian embassy in Kyiv on July 12, 2019.
