Vice News reporter Simon Ostrovsky is reportedly being held in the Slaviansk city of Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists.
The city’s self-declared separatist mayor, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, told a news conference that his men were holding the journalist.
Other journalists working in the area said Mr. Ostrovsky had been detained by gunmen on Monday and, unlike others taken with him, had not yet been released, Reuters reported.
Vice News did not confirm specific details, but tweeted Tuesday morning: “We are aware of @SimonOstrovsky’s situation and are working to ensure the safety and security of our friend and colleague.”
Mr. Ostrovsky has been covering the crisis in Ukraine for weeks. His last tweets were on Monday when he covered an earlier news conference by Mr. Ponomaryov.
“Sloviansk pro-Russia ’mayor’ threatens to throw journalist out for ’provocative’ question about former mayor being held under guard,” he said.
His last tweet read: “Now he’s not letting reporters leave the press conference: ’you’ll go as you came in. In a group.’ That’s one way to guarantee coverage.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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