Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy Nadiia Savchenko has declared in court that her pretrial arrest has been extended and refused the services of her hired attorneys. Savchenko then asked the court to appoint her a defense counsel.

"I don't understand the public statements of my lawyers. I don't think they have the right to drive a wedge between the defendant and her family members," Savchenko said during a hearing at Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court on Monday.

A procedure for appointing a state attorney to defend Savchenko is being discussed.

Savchenko's attorneys Viktor Chevhuz, Oleh Solovei and Dmytro Buhai have quit her defense, as well as lawyer Oleksandr Shadrin.