KIEV, March 15 - Captured Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Shevchenko, facing 23 years in prison for alleged involvement in the death of two Russian journalists during 2014 fighting in Luhansk region, behaved rudely to her captors during her trial in southern Russia's Rostov-on-Don region.

According to Voice of America, Shevchenko said last week during a court session that the proceedings were a farce and told officials "we are playing with my life. The stakes are high and I have nothing to lose," and punctuated her contemptuous words by raising her middle finger (in a vulgar gesture).