Pechersky District Court in Kyiv has chosen a measure of restraint for Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes in the form of night-time house arrest.

The court judgment notes that Kernes should stay home every day from 2100 in the evening until 0700 next morning.

The court made its ruling after three hours of discussion on Thursday evening.

Kernes said that according to the court ruling, he must surrender his passport and not to travel outside Kharkiv for two months. When asked if he knew those who had filed the lawsuit against him, he said that he did not.

Kernes also told reporters that the first thing he would do upon arrival at home would be to take a cold bath.

After talking to reporters, he got into his car and left the yard of the court.

On March 13, Kernes was summoned to the Prosecutor General's Office for questioning as a suspect. He said that criminal proceedings had been instituted against him under Part 2, Article 146 (unlawful deprivation of freedom or abduction), Part 2, Article 127 (torture), and Part 1, Article 129 (making a death threat) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.