Updated: Thursday, 12:51 p.m.

A spokesman for Vice issued a statement saying Ostrovsky has been released:

“VICE News is delighted to confirm that our colleague and friend Simon Ostrovsky has been safely released and is in good health. We would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. Out of respect for Simon and his family's privacy, we have no further statement at this time.”

Original Post:

Journalists on social media rallied Tuesday around Simon Ostrovsky, a Vice News journalist and filmmaker who was reportedly kidnapped on Monday while covering the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Ostrovsky had been tweeting from a press conference in Ponomarev. His tweets stopped on Monday morning, ET, when he tweeted the following:

According to the online Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru, Ostrovsky was taken hostage by a militia group in the eastern Ukraine city of Sloviansk. On Tuesday afternoon, Vice News posted an update to its website saying it is “aware of the situation” and in contact with the appropriate government authorities:

“VICE News is aware of the situation and is in contact with the US State Department and other appropriate government authorities to secure the safety and security of our friend and colleague, Simon Ostrovsky.”

On Twitter and other social media sites, fellow journalists have been posting messages of support:

Ostrovsky, who previously worked for Al Jazeera English and BBC Newsnight, was in Ukraine covering the ongoing conflict for the Brooklyn-based Vice News.

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