Zakhrova on the Journalist Killed During the War

Moscow demands an immediate response from international organizations regarding the murders of Russian journalists. This was stated by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on the circumstances of the death of Anna Prokofyeva, a journalist from the Russian First Channel, while performing her professional duties in the Belgorod region. Dmitry Volkov, the operator accompanying her at the time of the shelling, was also injured.

Zakharova appealed to the Director-General of UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE representative on media freedom, demanding decisive actions in connection with the incident. She emphasized that attacks on journalists violate the mandates of these organizations and cannot go unanswered. “Silence on this brutality or formal comments will be regarded as complicity in the continuation of this ‘hunt’ against journalists,” the statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website said.

Zakharova expressed condolences to Prokofyeva's relatives and loved ones, stressing that the journalist fulfilled her professional duty until the last moment. The diplomat also wished a speedy recovery to Dmitry Volkov.

According to Zakharova, the Kyiv regime is conducting a “targeted hunt” against Russian journalists. The Foreign Ministry claims that four representatives of Russian media have been killed in recent days due to attacks by Ukrainian armed forces. The ministry asserts that strikes using Western weapons have been primarily directed at filming crews that have been previously tracked in the area.

Zakharova called on governments, human rights organizations, and the media community to condemn the systematic attacks on Russian journalists and other crimes against civilians. She assured that all perpetrators will be identified and brought to justice.

In the past week, Anna Prokofyeva has become the fourth victim among media representatives. On March 24, employees of the Zvezda TV channel, operator Andrey Panov and driver Alexander Sirkelin, as well as Izvestia correspondent Alexander Fedortsak, were killed. Additionally, a journalist from the Zvezda TV channel sustained serious injuries.