The United States on Tuesday slammed what it called Moscow’s “blatant disregard for the principles of justice” after a court sentenced a female Ukrainian military pilot to 22 years in prison over the killing of two journalists.

“We reiterate our call on Russia to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko and other unlawfully detained persons,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said, as Secretary of State John Kerry prepared to head to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladmir Putin on Syria and Ukraine.

“Nadiya Savchenko deserves to go home to her family and friends and to join her colleagues in the Rada in building a better future for their country.”

Savchenko, 34, was found guilty of involvement in the fatal 2014 shelling of the Russian state television reporters in east Ukraine — a widely-expected verdict.

Savchenko — who has become a national hero in her homeland and was elected to parliament in absentia — reacted to the verdict by shouting in Ukrainian and singing the Ukrainian national anthem.

“For nearly two years, Russia has unjustly detained Savchenko on charges that have no basis in fact and has denied her the basic protections of the rule of law,” Kirby said.

“She has reportedly endured interrogation, solitary confinement, and forced ‘psychiatric evaluation’,” he added.

“The conviction and sentencing of Nadiya Savchenko to 22 years imprisonment show a blatant disregard for the principles of justice and contravene Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements.”

Kerry is due at the Kremlin on Thursday for talks with Putin on how to build momentum for peace in Syria after a partial withdrawal of Russian forces. The crisis in Ukraine was also expected to figure on the agenda.