Russia Targets Foreign Journalist with Threats and Legal Action over Kursk War Coverage

October 04, 2024 – Russia/Ukraine – 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the Russian government’s threat against Italian journalist Davide Maria De Luca, marking a new low in the country’s ongoing crackdown on independent war reporting. De Luca, a freelance correspondent for the Italian newspaper Domani, had been reporting from the Russian border region of Kursk following a Ukrainian incursion in late September 2024.

While embedded with Ukrainian forces, De Luca produced a series of reports and videos documenting the aftermath of the conflict, including footage from Sudzha, a Russian town briefly entered by Ukrainian troops. On September 27, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova publicly named him on Telegram, accusing him of illegally entering Russian territory and declaring he would be placed on the state’s wanted list. The message, viewed as a veiled threat, triggered a barrage of death threats and online abuse directed at the journalist.

De Luca strongly denies illegally entering Russia, stating that he never crossed the border without military escort and was working transparently as a journalist. Nevertheless, the Russian government has launched criminal investigations into him and at least 13 other foreign journalists from major outlets, including CNN, France 24, Deutsche Welle, RAI, and Ukraine’s 1+1. These investigations cite alleged violations of border laws and carry prison sentences of up to five years.

Press freedom organizations have reacted with alarm. The IFJ and the European Federation of Journalists both condemned Zakharova’s statement as a dangerous act of state intimidation. They argue that such threats endanger foreign journalists and aim to suppress independent coverage of the war in Ukraine. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also called for all charges to be dropped and for Russian authorities to stop targeting members of the international press.

This incident exemplifies Russia’s growing hostility toward journalists, particularly those covering the war from perspectives that challenge official narratives. As the conflict escalates, so too does the risk for reporters trying to shed light on its human and political consequences, highlighting the urgent need to protect journalists from politically motivated threats and legal harassment.

Reference – 

Russia: Government official threatens foreign journalist covering the war in the Kursk region – IFJ