Russia’s FSB has filed criminal charges against Nick Paton Walsh, a well-known British CNN reporter, as well as two Ukrainian colleagues for crossing the border into Ukrainian territory from the Kursk region while on assignment, according to multiple reports.
An FSB spokesman was quoted by state news agency Interfax as saying: “Criminal charges have been filed and investigations are ongoing.”
The three journalists accused of “illegally crossing the border of the state of Russia” also include Ukrainian journalists Olesia Borovyk and Diana Butsko, according to the FSB.
If convicted, the charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.
The FSB said the journalists would soon be placed on an international wanted list.
Russian authorities are also pressing charges against two Italian RAI journalists over filming in the Kursk region town of Sudzha, which was captured shortly after Ukrainian forces launched their surprise raid on August 6.
Italy’s ambassador to Moscow has been summoned over the report. RAI said its journalists were returning to Italy for security reasons after Russian police opened a criminal investigation into their reporting trip.
On, RussiaThe Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned a senior official at the US Embassy in Moscow over what it called “provocative actions” by American journalists reporting from Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Kursk region, as well as alleged US mercenary activities on Russian territory.
Mr Paton Walsh recorded several reports from Kursk, apparently while embedded with Ukrainian troops.
He has not posted on his X account since August 17, when he shared a photo of bombed-out buildings, with the caption: “Sudzha, Kursk: Russian residents take shelter as Ukraine advances.”
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