We’ve greatly appreciated Simon’s reports from the field, he allows the pictures to speak for themselves and is extremely measured in his reporting.
Hope he is safe and released soon.
Via Fox News:
DONETSK, Ukraine – Pro-Russian gunmen in eastern Ukraine admitted on Wednesday that they are holding an American journalist who has not been since early Tuesday.
Simon Ostrovsky, a journalist for Vice News, has been covering the crisis in Ukraine for weeks and was reporting about groups of masked gunmen seizing government buildings in one eastern Ukrainian city after another.
Pro-Russia insurgents who have been occupying police stations and other public buildings in eastern Ukraine for more than a week are defying the accords that Russia and Ukraine signed last week, urging on all parties in Ukraine to lay down the arms and vacate the public offices.
Simon had a prior encounter near Crimea during which he was roughed up a little by the Berkut and the Russian military.
VICE”s reaction:
We are aware of @SimonOstrovsky's situation and are working to ensure the safety and security of our friend and colleague.
— VICE News (@vicenews) April 22, 2014
Sloviansk mayor holding @SimonOstrovsky told us Simon was spreading false, one-sided info. "Now he needs to learn a lesson." #Ukraine
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) April 23, 2014