Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko said during her re-examination in the Russian Donetsk city court on Monday that she was volunteering as an instructor in the Aidar battalion.

"During my vacation I came [to Aidar battalion] in order to share experience, anything that I could do. I was not a staff instructor. Formally, I wasn't a commander in Aidar. I wasn't officially a member of staff," Savchenko said.

Later in the proceedings the Ukrainian pilot said she had no combat sorties.

"I would like to clarify one moment: I have no battle sorties. I haven't been flying and shooting at people from the helicopter," Savchenko said.

According to Russian investigators, Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Savchenko was at the base of the Aidar battalion near the village of Metallist in the Slovyanoserbsk district of Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on June 17, where she was conducting secret surveillance and correcting artillery fire targeting a checkpoint of militants from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as civilians sheltering there, among them were three journalists of Russia's VGTRK broadcaster. Two Russian reporters – Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin – were killed in the attack. Savchenko denies all charges.

Savchenko has been held in Russian custody since July 2014.

Savchenko went on hunger strike during a hearing in the Donetsk City Court on December 17. She said she was going on hunger strike until the end of the trial of her case. Her lawyers believe the sentence could be handed down in February.