While traveling to cover the referendum vote on whether Crimea should secede from Ukraine and join Russia, NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his crew were temporarily detained.
Detained by pro russian militia in crimea. Questioned for an hour or so. Not allowed to move or phone. Then released. #ukraine
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) March 13, 2014
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We took the train to avoid militia checkpoints. Theyre now also at train stations in #crimea. #ukraine
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) March 13, 2014
militiamen first told us we’d be deported “back to #ukraine“. Eventually we talked them out of it. they let us go. #crimea.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) March 13, 2014
Engel is of course no stranger to danger abroad: he and his team were held captive in Syria back in 2012. Engel’s report on trying to avoid military checkpoints after the jump.