Russia blames US for Ukraine murdering RIA Novosti correspondent
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Russia says the United States is to blame for the targeting of Russian journalists by Ukraine after the latter used US-supplied weapons in the attack.
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Rostislav Zhuravlev, correspondent for Russia's RIA news agency, poses for a picture at an unknown location in this undated picture (RIA Novosti)
The Russian Embassy in Washington squarely places responsibility on the United States for the tragic incident involving RIA Novosti war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev, who was killed while covering the ongoing Ukraine war.
The journalist lost his life during a strike conducted by Kiev's forces, where Washington-supplied cluster munitions were used, and several other journalists suffered injuries, according to a statement released on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Zhuravlev passed away while being evacuated due to injuries sustained from a cluster submunition explosion. Four other journalists also suffered various degrees of injuries in the incident.
Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, a photojournalist from RIA Novosti, was also injured during the same incident. The shelling occurred near the village of Pyatykhatky, where a group of journalists came under fire.
In further detail, Izvestia correspondent Roman Polshakov and TV channel's cameraman Dmitry Shikov sustained shrapnel wounds and fractures due to the Ukrainian attack. Both of them were seriously wounded but are now receiving proper medical treatment, as reported by Izvestia.
On its account, the Russian Defense Ministry affirmed that Ukrainian forces launched an artillery strike with cluster munitions targeting a group of journalists from RIA Novosti and Izvestia news agencies.
The journalists were investigating the Ukrainian army's use of cluster munitions in the Zaporozhye region when they were shelled with cluster munition. The attack resulted in injuries to four journalists, each with varying degrees of severity due to the Ukrainian strike with cluster munitions.
In response to the incident, the Russian Embassy issued a scathing statement, directly holding the United States accountable for supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine. The Embassy cited American assurances to the international community that such weaponry would be used "selectively and carefully" by Ukrainian forces. However, the tragic consequences of the attack have led to doubts about the veracity of these claims.
Confirming the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine, White House National Security Council Spokesperson, John Kirby, acknowledged that these munitions had been deployed in the field. Kirby also asserted that the Ukrainians had used the cluster munitions in a manner that was deemed appropriate and effective.
Read next: A Grim Reaper that will outlast the Ukraine war: Cluster munitions
The Embassy's statement further expressed concern over the Ukrainian regime's use of cluster weapons against civilian populations, underlining that the deployment of such munitions demonstrated a loss of control by Washington over its allies. The resulting casualties among innocent civilians were strongly condemned by the Embassy, and it placed the blame on the United States for contributing to the prolongation of the conflict.
Highlighting the circumstances of Zhuravlev's death, Moscow emphasized that the war correspondent fell victim to Kiev's strike that utilized cluster munitions. Furthermore, the Embassy accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, causing immense harm to non-combatants.
Kiev tried to assassinate number of Russian journalists, FSB says
The killing of Zhuravlev comes a few days after Moscow revealed that Ukraine has tried to make attempts on the lives of numerous Russian journalists, including a top RT journalist.
According to the FSB, the journalists that Kiev tried to assassinate are Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak.
Earlier last August, one of the journalists on the list, Daria Dugina, was murdered in a bomb blast outside Moscow in her car. In response, Russia accused a Ukrainian security service agent as the perpetrator.
Military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky, whose name is also on the list, was killed in an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg. The girl who delivered the bomb said that she was fulfilling a job by Ukrainian officials and was promised that if she completed it successfully, she would be hired by a Ukrainian media outlet.
