Kyiv's appeals court has rescheduled a hearing on complaints by defense attorneys for ex-Party of Regions faction head, former MP Oleksandr Yefremov about pretrial confinement. Kyiv's Pechersky district court had remanded the former lawmaker in pretrial custody until January 22, 2017.

During a hearing on Tuesday, the court rejected appeals by Yefremov's lawyers to replace the prosecutor in the case. The court rescheduled a hearing on the matter for January 5.

Yefremov is suspected of state treason, activities deliberately undertaken by a citizen of Ukraine to diminish the nation's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. He is accused of supporting a foreign organization to conduct disruptive activities against Ukraine (Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Yefremov was arrested on suspicion of diminishing the territorial integrity of Ukraine on July 30 at the airport in Kyiv. He is suspected of assisting the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, as well as embezzling from Luhanskvuhillia coal mining enterprise.

Kyiv's Pechersky district court on November 24 approved a request from Ukrainian prosecutors to extend the length of his pretrial confinement until January 22.