The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday that it has initiated criminal proceedings against a reporter from CNN, accusing the journalist of illegally entering Russia to report on Ukraine’s cross-border attack in Kursk Oblast.
The accused journalist is Nick Paton Walsh, CNN’s chief international security correspondent and a British citizen. Last week, he accepted an invitation from Ukraine and, under the escort of the country’s military, traveled to the town of Sudzha on the border of Kursk Oblast in Russia to report on Ukraine’s border crossing attack and occupation of Russian territory.
The FSB also stated that two Ukrainian journalists working for the independent news media Hromadske have been similarly charged and are facing criminal proceedings.
According to the FSB, these three journalists “illegally crossed the border of the Russian Federation to film in the settlement of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast.”
The agency mentioned that the names of these journalists will be added to the Russian “international wanted list.” Under Russian law, illegal border crossing may result in up to five years of imprisonment.
A report by CNN aired on August 16 showed these journalists accompanying the Ukrainian military convoy into Sudzha, a town nearly deserted except for a few dozen elderly residents.
In response to the accusations by the FSB, CNN defended the journalists’ actions, stating that their trip was legitimate, reasonable, and part of their duty.
CNN stated in a release: “In this conflict, our team provided truthful and impartial reporting, covering perspectives from both Ukraine and Russia regarding the war.”
“Our team was invited by the Ukrainian government along with other international journalists and witnessed the recent occupation of the territory under Ukrainian military escort,” the statement pointed out. “Under the Geneva Convention and rights granted to journalists by international law, this is a protected activity.”
Apart from CNN, The Washington Post and a few other news organizations have also recently reported on the situation in Kursk Oblast. However, the FSB’s statement specifically mentioned the actions of the CNN journalists.
Earlier this week, Russian officials summoned a senior diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to protest the “provocative behavior” of American journalists reporting in Kursk Oblast.
The cross-border attack by Ukraine on Kursk Oblast began on August 6, and this operation is altering the dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.