( CNN ) -- A Ukrainian journalist detained Tuesday by pro-Russian rebels while working as a freelance producer for CNN has been freed . Anton Skiba called CNN on Saturday to confirm his release . CNN also received visual confirmation that Skiba is free from sources on the ground in Donetsk . On Tuesday evening , armed fighters led by a senior official from the self-declared Donetsk People 's Republic were waiting outside the Donbass Palace Hotel , in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk , as CNN television crew returned from a day 's work at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 . Skiba had worked for one day with the CNN crew when he was detained . Skiba 's work as a journalist for CNN also encompassed translating and providing local knowledge . An official with the Donetsk People 's Republic initially accused Skiba of `` terrorism '' and of posting offers , on his Facebook page , of cash rewards for the killing of rebel fighters . The official later dropped the accusation about the Facebook posts and said Skiba was being questioned for having multiple forms of identification with different surnames . On July 11 , Alexandr Kalyussky -- the senior official who detained Skiba -- was added to the growing list of rebel officials to face sanctions from the European Union . Skiba had previously also worked as a freelancer for the BBC for two days in the wake of the MH17 crash . A journalist at the Moscow-based weekly magazine Russian Reporter told CNN that Skiba also worked for several months in 2013 as a photographer for the publication . CNN 's Ivan Watson and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report .
Anton Skiba called CNN on Saturday to confirm his release . He was detained when a CNN crew returned to town from filming at MH17 construction site . His work for CNN included reporting and providing local knowledge .