THE preliminary hearing in the trial of a Ukrainian neo­nazi army officer charged in connection with the deaths of two Russian journalists began in the Russian border town of Donetsk yesterday.

The hearing was soon adjourned to consider an appeal by the defence to have the trial held in Moscow, where it would receive more publicity.

Russian investigators allege that former military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko was working as a spotter in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine and provided the co-ordinates for a mortar attack that killed journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin in 2014.

Court representative Tatyana Diyeva told reporters that the court had sent the appeal to the regional court to decide where the case should be heard.

Nikolai Polozov, one of Ms Savchenko’s lawyers, told reporters outside the court that he has not had any contact with his client since she was taken from a pre-detention centre in Moscow two weeks ago.

Ms Savchenko, who had volunteered to fight in the neonazi Aidar Battalion, was captured by Donbass anti-fascist forces near the village of Metalist on June 18 2014.

She was arrested in Russia after authorities said she crossed the border alone.

Ms Savchenko has been a poster child for the Kiev coup regime. She began an 83-day hunger strike in December 2014. In April this year Kiev imposed sanctions on Russia over the militant’s detention.

Ms Savchenko’s legal team includes Mark Feygin, who has previously defended exhibitionists Pussy Riot.