On October 17, RIA Novosti news agency said that battlefield reporter Ivan Zuyev was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Zaporizhzhia region, north of the Crimean peninsula. Another journalist, Yury Voytkevich, was injured but is now out of danger.
According to RIA, the incident occurred while a group of reporters were reporting in a Russian-controlled area near the border with Ukrainian forces. Mr. Zuyev's death shocked the Russian media and sparked a strong wave of criticism from Moscow.
Mr. Dmitry Kiselev, head of Rossiya Segodnya Group - parent company of RIA Novosti - called Ivan Zuyev "a brave journalist, who has devoted himself to reflecting the truth from the war zone". He affirmed that Zuyev is always active in hot spots, bringing information directly from the front line despite facing many dangers.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova strongly condemned the incident, accusing Kiev of recently turning journalists into terrorist targets. She said Zuyev's death was a testament to the escalation of military actions against journalists in the conflict area.
Ivan Zuyev is the third RIA Novosti journalist to die in connection with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Previously, in July 2023, reporter Rostislav Zhuravlev died in a Ukrainian missile attack, injuring three other colleagues. In 2014, photographer Andrey stenin also died while working in the Donbass region.
Mr. Zuyev's death continues to raise concerns about the safety of journalists working in the war zone, in the context of the war between Russia and Ukraine showing no signs of cooling down.
