In July this year, Latvian journalist and politician Ruslan Pankratov took part in a press tour in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, organized by the Russian Ministry of Defence. The Dutch journalist Sonja van den Ende was also present.

On August 1, Pankratov traveled home again, having previously fled to India and made a trip to Russia.

When he returned home, he was immediately arrested and thrown in jail. He was charged with, among other things, violating sanctions and supporting the Russian special military operation. The purpose of the press tour was to see the situation in the Donbas with your own eyes.

This is now a criminal act in the West, Van den Ende sighs.