The Russian occupiers are fighting against the objective coverage of their war crimes in Ukraine, at least 35 journalists have already been wounded, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova says.
According to her, three journalists are already killed. Among them are Ukrainian military correspondent Viktor Dudar (killed during the fighting near Mykolaiv), cameraman of the Ukrainian live television channel Yevhen Sakun (killed during the missile attacks in Kyiv) and American documentary journalist Brent Renaud (was killed at a checkpoint in Irpin, Kyiv region).
Many journalists were wounded by targeted shelling of the enemy. In particular, the armored car with marking “press” of the Swiss journalist Guillaume Bricke during movement towards Mykolaiv was fired at by the Russian military. The journalist was wounded.
Two journalists from the Czech edition of Voxpot, Maida Slamova and Vojtech Bogach, also came under fire from Russian troops. Two Danish correspondents from Ekstra Bladet, Stefan Weichert (journalist) and Emil Filtenborg Mikkelsen (photographer-reporter), received gunshot wounds.
Russian troops attacked the British television group Sky News. Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his four colleagues were ambushed while returning to Kyiv. The bullet hit Ramsey in the back, and Richie Mokler’s cameraman was rescued by a bulletproof vest that had been shot at twice.
The ombudsman also said that television infrastructure facilities were also targeted. The enemy tried to destroy Kyiv, Lutsk, and Rivne television towers, and seized television towers and studios in the temporarily occupied cities.
“The killing and shelling of journalists is a gross violation of The Hague Conventions and Declarations, the Geneva Convention for the Protection of Victims of War and its Additional Protocols, and the Convention on the Laws and Customs of Land Warfare, which establishes security for journalists. I call on international human rights organizations increasing pressure on Russia to end military aggression against Ukraine,” Denisova said.
