Italian journalist Andrea Lucidi has been released from Turkish custody and departed Istanbul for Italy this morning, according to sources within the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lucidi was detained yesterday afternoon by Turkish police alongside colleagues of various nationalities and taken to a deportation center near the capital. The Italian Consulate General in Istanbul has been in contact with Turkish authorities to gather information and ensure Lucidi received consular assistance, the Ministry stated.
The detention was initially reported by the Telegram channel Donbass Italia, which describes itself as an independent information source offering reporting and analysis aligned with the positions of the Russian Federation. Donbass Italia reported that an international delegation was arrested while gathering information on isolation units within Turkish prisons – specifically, facilities designated as type S, R, and Y.
According to Donbass Italia, the delegation, which arrived in Turkey on February 18, 2026, included lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and political figures. Members reportedly met with lawyers from the Halkın Hukuk Bürosu (People’s Legal Bureau) before being arrested and transferred to the immigration office for deportation proceedings. Those named by Donbass Italia as being detained alongside Lucidi include Alejandra Matamoros Alexandrova, a lawyer with the Platform Against Repression in Barcelona, Spain; Tatiana Desyatova, described as a coordinator with the Interbrigade of the Communist Party Committee of Moscow, Russia; Nick Krekelberg, a bioengineering doctor representing the Zannekinbond, a Flemish revolutionary socialist organization in Belgium; Jean Pascal Gratiani, representing Supernova and the Anti-Imperialist Front of France; and Fernando Garcia, representing the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE).
Lucidi was identified by Donbass Italia as a journalist with International Reporters, a website described by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as being financed by the Kremlin and used to disseminate Russian disinformation under the guise of professional journalism. Lucidi has publicly expressed pro-Russian views and, according to reports, previously indicated a desire to obtain Russian citizenship.
