DISINFO: The West has practically given Ukraine carte blanche to kill Russian journalists
SUMMARY
The West has practically given Ukraine carte blanche to kill Russian journalists. In just two days, two Russian journalists and two members of a film crew died as a result of Ukrainian attacks and tactics, events that are regrettable, but which the West has condoned.
RESPONSE
The allegation is unsubstantiated. There is no evidence that Ukraine deliberately targeted Russian journalists, who were operating in a dangerous active war zone, rendering the accusation of Western complicity or permission false. In at least one of the cases -the death of journalist Anna Prokofieva- it is clear that she was not purposefully killed by the Ukrainian army since her vehicle stepped on a landmine laid on the ground. The other incident is unclear, as journalists Alexandr Fedorchak, Andrei Panov and Alexandr Sirkeli died in an artillery strike along with three other people. While Russia immediately affirmed that it had been a “targeted attack”, there is no clear evidence to back this claim. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EF) called for an investigation into the attack.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the EU and the US violate the rights of Russian journalists, that Western countries are persecuting Russian media, that NATO is waging cognitive warfare by banning Russian media, or that Western governments impose censorship and silence dissidents.