Russian security services (FSB) initiated a criminal investigation against CNN journalist and two Ukrainian correspondents for allegedly crossing the Russian border in Kursk Oblast illegally, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
This comes as Ukraine continues its Kursk operation which began on 6 August. Ukrainian forces have managed to maintain and even expand their control over key territories, despite Russian attempts to repel them. However, Russian troops still maintain heavy pressure on the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, despite diverting some forces to Kursk.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced that CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh, along with Ukrainian journalists Olesia Borovyk and Diana Butsko, are accused of unlawfully entering Russia and filming news reports in the Sudzha area of Kursk region, which is currently under Ukrainian control, according to Interfax.
The FSB stated that the journalists will soon be placed on an international wanted list. If found guilty under Article 322 of the Russian Criminal Code, they could face up to five years in prison.
In response to the allegations, Diana Butsko, one of the accused Ukrainian journalists working for Hromadske, characterized the criminal case as an attempt to pressure independent journalism and conceal information about the ongoing operation.
“I understand, that the Russian security forces and their bots, who have written me a bunch of threats these days, don’t like this view,” Butsko said.
This development follows a similar case against Italian journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini, who were accused of working in the same region after an alleged illegal border crossing. The Russian Foreign Ministry subsequently lodged a formal protest with the Italian ambassador over the incident.
Related:
- Zelenskyy: More Russian POWs and one settlement captured in Kursk Oblast
- Russian forces bomb their own villages occupied by Ukraine in the Kursk Oblast — General Staff
- Russia transfers conscript soldiers from Siberia to Kursk Oblast
- Ukrainian Defense Forces control over 1,250 square kilometers and 92 settlements in Kursk Oblast, says Zelenskyy
