Russia initiates criminal proceedings against CNN and Hromadske reporters for war coverage in Kursk region

They are accused of illegally crossing the border, Ukrinform reports, citing RFE/RL.

According to the FSB, foreign reporters face up to five years in prison.

The suspects are CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh and Hromadske correspondents Olesia Borovyk and Diana Butsko. The journalists will be placed on an international wanted list, the FSB said.

Nick Walsh visited the Russian checkpoint in the Kursk region, which is controlled by the Ukrainian military, while Borovyk and Butsko reported from Sudzha.

The FSB had previously filed charges against Italian journalists Simoni Traini and Stefani Battistini, who also reported from Sudzha. The Russian Foreign Ministry later handed the Italian ambassador a note of protest regarding these incidents.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said law enforcement agencies are currently investigating Washington Post journalists' reporting from Suzha. The team visited the city on August 17, accompanied by members of the Ukrainian armed forces.

As Ukrinform previously reported, on August 6, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on the Russian Kursk region. On August 15, a military command was established in the Ukrainian-occupied territories of the Kursk region. Major General Eduard Moskalyov was appointed its head.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region was contributing to the destruction of Russia's military supply routes and the depletion of its reserves.