Cluster munitions claimed their first civilian victim since their US shipment to Kiev on Saturday, when RIA Novosti's war correspondent and communist, Rostislav Zhuravlev, was killed during a Ukrainian shelling targeting the Zaporozhye region.

While their statement was condemned by international press organizations, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) celebrated his death and called on others to disregard Zhuravlev’s killing.

NUJU's statement underscored that Zhuravlev's death “marks the demise of a Russian propagandist in the service of the Kremlin.”

The union was angered over recent statements by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists, both of whom condemned the killing and called for a swift independent investigation.

NUJU reminded that the pair had previously denied the journalistic status of the “pro-Kremlin union of Russian journalists” and suspended its membership from the IFJ, which it described as a welcome move.

On these grounds, the statement concluded that “it is not necessary to recognize propagandists as journalists, even in tragic circumstances."

Killed investigating cluster munitions

The union did not provide any evidence of the so-called propaganda they accused Zhuravlev of spreading. However, "propagandist" is a slur commonly used against any Russian media outlet. It is perhaps telling that at the time of his killing, the RIA Novosti journalist was investigating Ukraine’s use of banned cluster munitions on civilian areas in the Zaporozhye region.

Ukraine has not responded to the allegations but the United Nations condemned the use of cluster bombs after reports they had been fired by Kiev’s forces.

"We have seen these reports, which are very concerning, and as we have said before these types of munitions should be consigned to history and should not be used," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing last Friday.

Tributes flowed for the slain journalist, whose work in conflict zones and hot spots won him a Golden Pen award as well as the plaudits of his colleagues.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, mourned the loss of the party member who was killed by what he described as a “Nazi shelling,” 

“Rostislav has always been where it is dangerous,” including Crimea and Donbass, Zyuganov said, describing the loss as irreparable before adding that “He was a faithful comrade, a reliable friend, always upholding truth and justice. War, unfortunately, takes the best."

Moreover, the communist leader said, “Eternal memory to the Hero!"

In turn, acting governor Evgeny Balistky said Zhuralev will be posthumously awarded the Order for Merits to the Zaporozhye Oblast.

Russia held Washington responsible for the war correspondent’s death after it supplied cluster munitions to Ukraine at the beginning of July, describing it as “a heinous and premeditated crime.”

Journalists are protected under the Geneva Convention and are treated as civilians in war zones, while deliberately targeting them is a war crime. 

Zhuralev’s funeral is due to take place on Friday, July 28, in his native Yekaterinburg in the Russian Federation.

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