Ukrainian forces are deliberately targeting Russian journalists who are reporting about the Russia-Ukraine war from the front lines, according to Moscow.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov put forward this allegation during an April 20 interview with the Izvestia newspaper. The official offered his condolences for the death of the outlet's war correspondent Semyon Yeryomin. According to Peskov, the tragedy that befell the reporter "highlights the dangers journalists face in combat zones."
Yeryomin was filming a story about anti-drone warfare in the Zaporizhzhia region, which was formerly under the control of Ukraine, on April 20. In the midst of his coverage, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropped an explosive device on him and his crew. Izvestia said the resulting explosion wounded Yeryomin, who later succumbed to his injuries.
According to the paper, the late journalist had reported on the crimes committed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) against civilians as part of his job as a correspondent. Peskov subsequently remarked: "As for the AFU deliberately targeting Russian journalists – yes, that is the case."
Peskov's colleague Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attack on Yeryomin. She described the killing as "an act of revenge for the honest performance of journalistic duty." According to Zakharova, the "deliberate and cold-blooded murder showcases the "ugly terrorist nature" of the authorities in Kyiv.
"Several Russian journalists have lost their lives since Moscow launched its military operation … more than two years ago," Russia Today (RT) wrote. The state-run outlet cited several names:
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- Boris Maksudov, journalist for Russia-24
- Rostislav Zhuravlev, journalist for the RIA Novosti news agency
- Oleg Klokov, journalist for Tavria TV
- Aleksey Ilyashevich, journalist for RuBaltic
- Darya Dugina, journalist for RT and Tsargrad
- Vladlen Tatarsky (born Maxim Yuryevich Fomin), military blogger
"Although Ukraine refused to explicitly acknowledge its involvement, officials in Kiev openly celebrated their deaths." (Related: Assassination of top Putin adviser's daughter by suspected Ukrainian operatives puts Europe on hair-trigger for World War III.)
Kyiv also targeting Western journalists
Russian journalists aren't the only ones on the receiving end of Kyiv's ire, as several Western journalists have found themselves included in the notorious "Myrotvorets" (peacemaker) website. The site curated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) serves as a "hit list" outlining the purported enemies of Kyiv.
One mainstream media journalist, English reporter Keir Simmons, found himself on the website for merely reporting that most Crimeans support Moscow over Kyiv. The NBC News reporter traveled to the Crimea region in March 2023 – more than a year after the Russia-Ukraine war began – to cover the area.
Simmons asked some residents if they were Ukrainian or Russian, with some answering that they were the latter. They reiterated that if Ukraine tries to invade, they will fight every last Ukrainian.
Kyiv punished Simmons through the inclusion of his name in the Myrotvorets website for the simple "crime" of reporting about the truth on the ground. The site accused him of attacking "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Months later in September 2023, Human Events Senior Editor Jack Posobiec was listed in the website where he was accused of being an "anti-Ukrainian propagandist" and "provocateur." But this did not faze the American journalist, who responded: ""After the collapse of his counteroffensive, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky's biggest threat isn't me, it's his own intelligence services."
According to Human Events, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Intercept founder Glenn Greenwald were put on the list.
Head over to UkraineWitness.com for more stories about Ukraine's targeting of journalists that reveal the truth on the front lines.
Watch this clip from "Redacted with Clayton Morris" about the 2022 disappearance of independent journalist and writer Gonzalo Lira, who later died in jail in January 2024.
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Journalist Jack Posobiec the latest American added to Ukrainian website's KILL LIST.
MSM journalist lands on Ukraine hit list after reporting that most Crimeans are pro-Russia.
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