The Russian Investigative Committee on Tuesday launched an investigation into the alleged abduction of a journalist in eastern Ukraine.Andrei Stenin, a reporter with the state-run Rossiya Segodnya news agency (formerly known as RIA Novosti), went missing August 5.He was working in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Sloviansk since May 13.Spokesman Vladimir Markin said the committee "is looking into the involvement of Ukraine's National Guard and security services in Stenin's kidnapping".

However, Ukraine had earlier denied holding any Russian journalist in custody.Safety of journalists working in Ukraine's crisis-hit southeastern regions has repeatedly raised international concerns, particularly following the killings of Russian and international journalists over the last two months.