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November 26, 2024 – Russia/Ukraine –
The Leninsky District Court in Kursk, Russia, issued an arrest warrant for France 24 journalist Catherine Norris Trent, accusing her of illegally crossing the border from Ukraine with Ukrainian forces into Russia’s Kursk region. The order—issued in absentia at the request of Russia’s Border Directorate (FSB)—carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years under Part 3 of Article 322 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Trent isn’t the only Western correspondent embroiled in this case. Russia previously opened criminal cases targeting at least seven foreign journalists—including Italian reporters from RAI and a Swiss journalist from CH Media—for similar coverage of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk this past August. The IFJ denounced the arrests as a deliberate effort to intimidate foreign media and stifle reporting on Russia’s war activities beyond its borders.
These cases are part of a broader pattern. Since August 2024, Russia’s FSB has charged 14 foreign journalists—typically for filming in Sudzha under Ukrainian escort—with allegations of illegal border crossing. Among those implicated are CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Deutsche Welle’s Nick Connolly, and Ukrainian network 1+1’s Natalya Nahorna. Arrest warrants for these journalists were issued in absentia, effectively barring them from entering Russia without facing prosecution.
Under international humanitarian law, accredited war reporters have protections—even if embedded—making Russia’s claims controversial. The targeting of journalists in conflict zones threatens transparency, allowing abuses to go undetected.
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