Russia: More Criminal Charges Targeting War Correspondents Covering Ukrainian Incursion
Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko, Olesya Borovik, and CNN’s Nick Peyton Walsh latest journalists slapped with bogus charges
Location: Russia
Date: August 22, 2024
Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the criminal charges brought against Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko, Olesya Borovik, and CNN’s Nick Peyton Walsh by Russian federal security services for their coverage of Ukrainian military incursion into the Kursk region. These journalists, along with Italian reporters Stefania Battistini and Simoni Traini, are being charged with "illegal border crossing" and are being targeted for their frontline reporting on the conflict. The Kremlin's actions represent a deliberate attempt to intimidate journalists and stifle independent coverage of the war. Russia has long suppressed domestic media, and now it is extending these repressive tactics to foreign correspondents. We stand firmly in support of these journalists, rejecting the baseless charges and calling attention to the critical importance of their work in providing global audiences with an accurate understanding of the conflict. The world cannot stand by as the Kremlin seeks to dismantle global press freedoms.
“As expected, they seem dissatisfied with independent reporting that accurately portrays the situation in the Kursk region. They don't like the fact that the Ukrainian military is adhering to international humanitarian law, so they're trying to silence us,” Hromadske reporter Diana Butsko tells Women Press Freedom after news broke of the charges filed against her, Olesya Borovik, and Nick Peyton Walsh. “But it won't work. We will continue to report from the front lines. Freedom of speech and independent journalism cannot be stopped,”
On August 22, 2024, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) opened criminal investigations into the reporters following their coverage of events in Sudzha, a town in the Kursk region. This area has become a focal point since early August when Ukrainian forces launched a surprise operation in the Russian region bordering Ukraine.
In response, the Russian government has sought to control the narrative by criminalizing journalists' activities, accusing them of illegally crossing into Russian territory — a charge that carries a potential five-year prison sentence. Last week, Italian journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini were slapped with the same charges after their broadcast from Sudzha on Italy’s public broadcaster, RAI.
The FSB has also indicated that Butsko, Borovik, and Walsh could soon be placed on an international wanted list, a tactic Russia has previously used to target both exiled Russian and Ukrainian journalists critical of its actions. Such listings and criminal charges issued by Russia can create obstacles for journalists, disrupting their travel and complicating visa applications. This manipulation of international legal instruments serves to further isolate reporters, pressure them into compliance with the Kremlin's narrative, and deter them from reporting.
Women Press Freedom has consistently documented Russia’s escalating violations against journalists, both within and beyond its borders. Russia’s war of aggression has claimed the lives of at least eight women journalists in Ukraine, with many more injured in Russian strikes. Several Ukrainian women journalists, including Zhanna Kyseliova and Victoria Roshchyna, have been abducted and detained by Russian forces in occupied Ukraine, they are still behind bars.
Within Russia, the state has suffocated independent and truthful reporting on the war by enforcing military censorship laws, shutting down media outlets, imprisoning journalists, and forcing those who seek to report the truth to flee the country.
The Kremlin’s pursuit of criminal charges against foreign war correspondents like Butsko, Borovik, Walsh, and their colleagues is a blatant attempt to silence voices that provide independent coverage of the conflict. By accusing these reporters of illegal border crossing, Russia is weaponizing its legal system to intimidate and control the media, denying the global public access to accurate information.The issuance of international arrest warrants intensifies the threat by potentially restricting journalists' movements and pressuring them, while also sending a clear message to other media outlets to abandon their reporting from the frontlines.
Women Press Freedom urges the international community to condemn these unjust charges and offer robust support to journalists working in conflict zones. The global press must not be silenced by Russia’s oppressive tactics, and reporters on the frontlines must be protected.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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