KIEV, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Ukrainian citizen, who was recently detained in Moscow on charges of espionage, "has no any relationship" to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the ministry said on Monday.
"The statements made by the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) regarding the membership of journalist Roman Sushchenko in the units of the Chief Intelligence Office of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, is another provocation," said the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on the day, Russia's FSB said it had detained Ukrainian citizen Roman Sushchenko for allegedly gathering intelligence about the Russian Armed Forces.
The FSB said that Sushchenko is an officer of the Chief Intelligence Office of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, accusing him of purposefully collecting state secrets about activities of the Russian Armed Forces and the National Guard.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform said that Sushchenko is a staff correspondent based in France, and that he was "unlawfully detained" on Friday in Moscow, where he was on a private trip.
Separately, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy said that the arrest of the Ukrainian journalist may force Kiev to establish a visa regime with Russia.
