A hunger strike by Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko, who is being held in Russian custody, is now in its fourth week. First Lt. Savchenko’s legal team says she has been ingesting only warm water since she began her protest on December 13, 2014, and that her health has begun to suffer.
Her lawyers have been barred from visiting Lt. Savchenko in detention through the end of state holidays on January 12.
The pilot, who was captured by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in June, was transferred to Russian pretrial detention in July.
Russian authorities have charged the 33-year-old first lieutenant with complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists covering the Ukraine conflict.
Lt. Savchenko denies the charges and says her transfer to Russia was illegal. Her supporters on January 5 carried out a one-day Twitter campaign, using the hashtag #FreeSavchenko, to mark the 22nd day of her hunger strike.