A prominent war correspondent for Russian state media has been killed in a ‘cluster munition’ attack in occupied Ukraine, Kremlin officials said.
Rostislav Zhuravlev, 34, a war correspondent for Russia’s RIA news agency, was killed by shelling near the frontline in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region on Saturday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said three more journalists were wounded by Ukrainian artillery fire. They were evacuated from the battlefield but RIA correspondent Zhuravlev died during the journey, officials said.
Putin’s Defense Ministry said four journalists were injured of varying severity as a result of cluster munition fire by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zhuravlev worked for RIA Novosti, a staunchly pro-Putin state media outlet seen as a key Kremlin propaganda weapon.
Rostislav Zhuravlev, 34, a war correspondent for Russia’s RIA news agency, died in shelling near the frontline in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region.
Zhuravlyov worked for RIA Novosti, a staunchly pro-Putin state media outlet seen as the Kremlin’s main propaganda weapon.
The group reportedly came under fire in the Pyatikhatki area south of Russian-occupied Zaporizhia.
Journalists are now being taken to Ukraine’s main city of Melitopol, which is controlled by Russian occupation forces.
“The condition of other journalists is moderate, stable,” the ministry said.
‘Their lives are not in danger.
‘They are being given all the medical assistance they need.’
Roman Saponkov, another military journalist, said the journalists were on a strictly controlled tour of the war zone organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.
RIA confirmed in a report that its correspondent was killed while reporting in the frontline village of Piyatikhatki and one of its cameramen was also injured.
The Defense Ministry said Ukraine used cluster munitions in the incident, but did not provide evidence.
Russia has said it will now respond to the alleged use of US-supplied cluster munitions.
However, Ukraine claims that Russia has already used cluster bombs in the war.
Zhuravlev told Russia’s state-run Channel One TV last month how Russian forces “did their job so well” that Western-supplied Leopard tanks and Bradley armored vehicles were “destroyed on approach without allowing them to reach our defensive lines”.
Correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev of Russia’s RIA news agency poses for a photo at an undisclosed location.
Zhuravlyov worked for RIA Novosti, a staunchly pro-Putin state media outlet seen as the Kremlin’s main propaganda weapon.
Ukraine received cluster bombs from the United States this month, but it has vowed to use them only to clear enemy troop concentrations.
Such weapons include many small bombs that rain down large areas, but are banned in many countries because of the potential danger to civilians. Ukraine has repeatedly said their use would be limited to combat.
Russia itself has repeatedly used cluster munitions during the war, the United Nations says.
Cluster munitions are banned by 123 countries, including the UK. Several countries expressed concern after Joe Biden’s decision to supply weapons to the war-torn country.
Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use and transfer of weapons.