Andrey Zakharchuk, the journalist arrested two weeks ago in Mykolaiv for treason and later traded to separatists for Ukrainian POWs, has returned to St. Petersburg, where he works.

On February 10, Zakharchuk was arrested while taking photos of a factory in Mykolaiv that produces tanks and other military equipment. Police suspected him of fomenting separatist sentiment and gathering intelligence about Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.

The order for Zakharchuk’s arrest accused him of “inaccurately reporting events in Ukraine,” says his employer Nevskie Novosti, where he writes primarily about St. Petersburg urban life and local sports.

Zakharchuk was freed on February 21. He is reportedly hoping to receive either Russian political asylum or a residence permit to remain in St. Petersburg.

On February 8, the Security Service of Ukraine arrested journalist Ruslan Kotsaba, who spoke out against the country’s new troop mobilization.

On February 9, 19-year-old soldier Sergey Dmitrienko was sentenced to nine years in prison for supposedly collaborating with Russian special forces.

Russia’s prosecution of Svetlana Davydova, a mother of seven children, has also resonated strongly with the public. Investigators say Davydova handed over classified information about Russian troop movements to the Ukrainian embassy in April 2014. Following a campaign to free her from jail, police later released Davydova on her own recognizance.