Three journalists, including a Romanian, investigated by FSB for “illegally” crossing Ukraine-Russia border in Kursk

MAE: It is a blatant attack on freedom of the press and fundamental rights.

By Romania Journal Last updated Sep 27, 2024

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Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened criminal investigations against three journalists, two Americans and one Romanian, who allegedly “illegally” crossed the Russian border from Ukraine to report in the occupied part of the Kursk region, press agencies announced on Friday.

The two Americans, Kathryn Diss and Fletcher Yeung, work for the Australian ABC channel, while the Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu works for HotNews.ro, according to Russian press agencies.

The reportes are accused by Russian authorities of “illegally crossing the border of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region,” according to a statement from the FSB, cited by press agencies.

On August 6, the Ukrainian army launched a surprise offensive in this border region, marking the first foreign military incursion into Russia since World War II.

Russian forces have since launched a counteroffensive and claim to have regained territory. However, Ukraine maintains control over around 100 localities and approximately 1,000 square kilometers, with several foreign media outlets reporting from areas under Kyiv’s control.

Overall, investigations have been launched against “12 foreign journalists” for accusations of this type since August 17, the FSB said, quoted by the RIA Novosti agency. Proceedings were initiated against some journalists of the American CNN television channel, the Italian RAI channel or the German Deutsche Welle. The journalists targeted by these investigations do not appear to be in Russia, but face up to five years in prison there, according to the Russian Criminal Code.

Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu said that the current situation “raises questions about the freedom of the press and the fundamental rights of journalists”.

“This action is not only a direct attack on my freedom of expression, but also a threat to all journalists who take risks to bring the truth about armed conflicts and crisis situations to the public. According to the Geneva Convention, journalists must be protected while carrying out their activities, and any attack on them is a flagrant violation of fundamental rights”, Mircea Barbu said.

He qualified it as “unacceptable for a journalist to be harassed and persecuted for the simple fact of exercising his job”. “The message the FSB is sending is clear: we do not tolerate independent voices questioning official narratives. But I will not give in. I will continue to report the facts, bring the realities of the conflict zones to the attention of the public and defend the values of free journalism. I would like to appeal to the international community, to organizations that defend the rights of journalists and to all those who believe in the power of truth. We cannot allow fear and intimidation to silence us”, said Mircea Barbu in a statement for Hotnews.ro.

MAE: It is a flagrant attack on the freedom of the press

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned on Friday the opening by Russia of a criminal case against the journalist Mircea Barbu, HotNews.ro correspondent, for his report in Kursk.

“It is a blatant attack on freedom of the press and fundamental rights,” reads the MFA’s post on its official X social network page.

“We strongly condemn RU decision to open criminal cases against journalists, including @_mirceabarbu , for reporting from #Kursk. This is a blatant attack against press freedom and fundamental rights. Journalists must be protected, not silenced,” the MAE post further says.

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