A Russian journalist reporting from frontline got killed and three other journalists suffered injuries in Ukraine's attack, Russia's defence ministry said. Russia accused the journalists got hit in an Ukrainian attack allegedly using cluster munitions supplied by the US.
According to a statement from the Russian defence ministry, the four journalists belonged to pro-Russian media got wounded in an attack in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Four correspondents for pro-Kremlin media suffered injuries and one journalist from the state RIA agency later succumbed to the injuries, the statement said.
The deceased journalist was identified as Rostislav Zhuravlyov, a correspondent with RIA Novosti. Zhuravlyov died during evacuation, the TASS news agency reported.
The Kremlin-installed head of the occupied parts of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balitsky, claimed in a Telegram post that the journalists were travelling in a civilian vehicle that was hit by shells. "At about 12 on July 22, 2023, Ukrainian forces carried out an artillery strike at a group of Izvestia and RIA Novosti reporters preparing their reports about Ukrainian cluster munition shellings of Zaporizhzhia region settlements. A cluster munitions strike caused various injuries to four reporters," TASS reported quoting the ministry.
The condition of other reporters’ were reportedly stable, the publication reported.