Concern for hunger-striking Ukraine pilot held in Russia

MOSCOW: The health of a female Ukrainian helicopter pilot detained by Russia is causing 'concern' as a hunger strike she is staging enters its second month, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Nadia Savchenko has been refusing food since Dec 13 to protest her detention by Moscow on charges of involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists in war-torn east Ukraine.
"She has lost 12 kilos (26 pounds). The state of her health is causing some concern," lawyer Nikolai Polozov told AFP.
"However she continues to stick to her cause."
The arrest of Savchenko, 33, in August has become a cause celebre in her homeland and she was elected a member of the national parliament in absentia at October elections.
Kiev says that she was abducted from Ukrainian territory and taken to Russia, while Moscow maintains she was arrested after crossing the border illegally. She is currently detained until February in a pre-trial detention centre in Moscow. – AFP