Nadezhda Savchenko, who has become something of a hero to those resentful of Valdimir Putin's alleged backing for pro-Russian insurgents, reacts angrily during the final day of a trial where she is accused of directing the artillery fire which killed two Russian journalists
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Nadezhda Savchenko, who has become something of a hero to those resentful of Valdimir Putin's alleged backing for pro-Russian insurgents, reacts angrily during the final day of a trial where she is accused of directing the artillery fire which killed two Russian journalists



        Pilot faces 25 years in jail for 'directing artillery' that killed reporters
        But she says she has proof she was nowhere near the battle field
        The 34-year-old is on hunger strike protesting against the 'show trial'         
    -Nadezhda Savchenko denounced trial as a 'farce of Kremlin puppets'

    A Ukrainian pilot showed a Russian judge the middle finger at the final hearing of her trial over the death of two journalists - a process the female officer has denounced as a 'farce of Kremlin puppets'.
    Nadezhda Savchenko, who has become something of a hero to those resentful of Valdimir Putin's alleged backing for pro-Russian insurgents, also sang the Ukrainian national anthem during the hearing.
    The 34-year-old is accused of helping to direct the fire of Ukrainian artillery in the Luhansk region in June 2014, when two Russian journalists were killed. If convicted, she faces as long as 25 years behind bars.






    Savchenko faces 25 years behind bars for a crime she says she did not and could not have committedPhoto: AFP/Getty Images
    Savchenko faces 25 years behind bars for a crime she says she did not and could not have committed
    But Savchenko, who was captured by Russian forces in 2014 during fighting between the two sides, has refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the trial.
    'In Russia, there are no courts and no investigations,' Savchenko told the court in the Russian border town of Donetsk. 'Here there is the farce of Kremlin puppets.'
    She added: 'If you want to show your strength, go ahead. But remember, we are playing with my life. The stakes are high and I have nothing to lose.' 
    Her lawyers say the time and location of calls made from her mobile phone disprove the allegations.
    Savchenko said: 'I don't accept my guilt or recognise the sentence of a Russian court.'
    Savchenko has been on hunger strike since last week in protest of against the 'show trial'.
    Her lawyer, Nikolai Polozov, said she had suffered heart problems and fever since beginning the hunger strike. Her life, he said, was in danger and she needed the attention of Ukrainian doctors.




    The helicopter pilot has become somewhat of a hero to those resentful of Valdimir Putin's alleged backing for pro-Russian insurgents. Pictured: A protest in support of SavchenkoPhoto: AFP/Getty Images
    The helicopter pilot has become somewhat of a hero to those resentful of Valdimir Putin's alleged backing for pro-Russian insurgents. Pictured: A protest in support of Savchenko
    Savchenko has been on hunger strike since last week in protest of against the 'show trial'




    However, in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had been prepared to allow Ukrainian doctors to visit Savchenko but that was no longer possible because of her behaviour in court.
    The pilot will now be denied any further visitors until her sentencing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 
    The court in the southern Russian region of Rostov-on-Don said it would sentence Savchenko on March 21 and 22.