SHANGHAI, May 20 (RAPSI)  - Russia demands immediate release of the LifeNews journalists detained by the National Guard of Ukraine, President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

It was reported earlier that LifeNews journalists, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko, were detained by the National Guard near Kramatorsk, the Donetsk Region. News Media management addressed the Russian Foreign Minister for assistance in their release. Sergey Lavrov urged the OSCE to take the necessary action for the liberation of the Russian journalists.

On Monday, in a letter to Arsen Avakov, appointed Interior Minister after the regime change in Ukraine, the OSCE requested the release of the journalists and called for a thorough investigation of the incident.

Dunja Mijatovic (OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media) addressed both parties in the conflict urging them to stop threatening media representatives and let them do their job.

She said in her letter to the Ukrainian Interior Minister that all the political leaders involved in resolving the crisis in Ukraine must clearly understand that violation of media freedom is unacceptable.

The Ukrainian authorities are conducting a special operation with the regular army in southeastern Ukraine, where pro-federalization demonstrations erupted in March.

Moscow has repeatedly urged Kiev to ensure the safety of journalists working in the region. The latest incident involving a journalist was on May 9, when a freelance journalist working for the RT television channel received a gunshot wound in the stomach while filming the fighting in Mariupol.