Moscow claims Ukraine performed drone attack on reporters


(MENAFN) A group of Russian journalists was reportedly attacked by a Ukrainian drone in Zaporozhye Region, leading to the injury of Boris Maksudov, a reporter with Rossiya-24 TV channel, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday. While Maksudov's injuries were described as non-life-threatening, the incident has raised concerns about the safety of journalists covering the conflict. The Russian military did not provide specific details about the location or proximity to the front line.

The journalists were reportedly working on a report highlighting the impact of artillery shelling by Ukrainian forces on villages in Zaporozhye Region. The incident follows a pattern of deliberate attacks on journalists in the region, with Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, condemning the drone strike as a deliberate act by Ukrainian forces, suggesting it was motivated by a sense of impotence.

The attack on Russian journalists is not an isolated incident, as the Ukrainian military has a history of deliberately targeting media personnel. The ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, which emerged in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup, has witnessed repeated instances of Ukrainian forces attacking Russian reporters, resulting in fatalities and injuries. In July, RIA war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev was killed, and several other journalists were wounded in an artillery fire while covering the fighting in Zaporozhye Region.

As the conflict continues, concerns about the safety of journalists reporting on the ground persist. The recent drone attack underscores the challenges journalists face in navigating the volatile situation and raises questions about the broader implications for press freedom in conflict zones. International attention remains focused on ensuring the safety of media personnel and holding those responsible for attacks on journalists accountable.

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