MOSCOW, December 25 (RAPSI) - The Rostov Region Court on Friday upheld the extension of detention of Ukrainian military ex-pilot Nadezhda Savchenko who stands charged with involvement in the killing Russian journalists and civilians in Donbas, RIA Novosti reported.

Savchenko will remain in jail until April 16, 2016.

On December 17, Savchenko declared a hunger strike until the end of her trial. She has already gone on hunger strike last December in a protest against her prosecution. She ended an 83-day hunger strike in March but renewed it soon afterwards.

Nadezhda Savchenko was arrested in Russia in the summer of 2014 on charges of involvement in the murder of two Russian TV journalists during hostilities in Donbas and on illegally crossing the border into Russia.

TV correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were killed on June 17 in a mortar attack.

Savchenko, who denies all the charges, is facing 25 years in prison.

Her attorneys claim that Savchenko was framed and that there is no evidence of involvement in the journalists’ murder. They also claim she did not cross the border voluntarily but was kidnapped.