The Novaya Gazeta newspaper has cited Amsterdam's border police as saying that Russian nationals Elena Milashina and Milana Bakhayeva were stopped at the airport for documents checks, adding that "there was no "detention".
"The journalists had not been detained. They were asked about the details related to their trip [the purpose of the journey, the date and time of the return ticket, etc.]. When the traveller fails to answer these questions right at the border stand, he is asked to go to a separate room," Steven Komba, a spokesman for the border police, said.
The statement came after Sputnik quoted a spokesperson from the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands as saying that the embassy is aware of the situation with the detention of the Russian nationals at the airport in Amsterdam, adding that the nationals had not yet requested assistance.
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Earlier, Russia's Novaya Gazeta daily reported that correspondent Elena Milashina, and Milana Bakhayeva, an employee of the Memorial human rights centre, had been detained at the Amsterdam regional airport.
According to the newspaper, Milashina and Bakhayeva flew to Amsterdam to meet with human rights activists investigating issues related to Syrian refugees in the country.
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"The police officers who detained the women refused to introduce themselves, saying that 'this is not Russia' and that no one is obliged to introduce themselves," the newspaper reported, adding that no specific accusations were made against the women.
Novaya Gazeta previously reported that Milashina's mobile phone had been seized without explanation. Furthermore, the newspaper said it is contacting the Dutch ambassador in Russia to find out the details of the incident and the "specific claims of the law enforcement officers".
