Incident

RIA journalist killed by Ukrainian strike

Cause of death

Crossfire

Details

RIA journalist Rostislav Zhuravlev was reportedly killed and three other journalists were injured during a Ukrainian attack in the Zaporizhzhia occupied region of Ukraine on 22 July. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Russian affiliate the Journalists and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) in calling for a swift investigation into Zhuravlev’s death.

Rostislav Zhuravlev, a war correspondent working for the Russian state agency RIA Novosti, was hit in a Ukrainian strike in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian military announced on 22 July. Rostislav Zhuravlev died from his wounds during his evacuation to medical facilities, the military said.

RIA also reported his death, saying he was killed near the frontline village of Pytikhatki.

According to Russia’s investigative Committee, RIA photojournalist Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, and two employees of Izvestia newspaper, Roman Polshakov and Dmitry Shikov, were also injured.

Andrei Jvirblis, Secretary of the journalists’ union JMWU said: “Rostislav Zhuravlev, correspondent for the official Ria Novosti news agency, has been added to the constantly growing list of colleagues killed and injured during almost a year and a half of war in Ukraine, a country that has become one of the most dangerous places for journalists and media professionals to work. The JMWU calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this tragedy, and for newsrooms to assess the risks of each assignment as rigorously as possible, respecting the well-known rules of clear identification of reporters so that they are not confused with combatants.”