Kremlin comments after journalist killed in Ukrainian strike
Russia does not expect the West to condemn Kiev over the killing of Russian journalist Boris Maksudov, who was fatally wounded in a Ukrainian attack this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Maksudov, a veteran reporter with Rossiya-24 TV, was among several journalists targeted by a Ukrainian drone strike in Zaporozhye Region on Wednesday. According to the Russian military, the group was working on a report about recurring Ukrainian artillery attacks on local villages. While officials initially said that Maksudov’s life was not in danger, several media outlets reported on Thursday morning that the journalist had succumbed to his wounds.
In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, Peskov described the incident as “a huge tragedy” and offered his deepest condolences to the entire war correspondent corps.
When asked whether the Kremlin expected Western countries to respond to the journalist’s death, Peskov replied in the negative. “Unfortunately, we are dealing with a very peculiar leadership in European countries,” he lamented.
He explained that Western policymakers not only openly adhere to “double standards” when it comes to such issues, but in some cases “it is unclear what standards they are following at all.”
It is obvious that there will be no [reaction]. But this should not be a reason for us to abandon our principles, to abandon our goals.
Peskov added that the tragedy is yet another reminder that war correspondents do an extremely dangerous job. “Of course, those who continue their work must be mindful that they are a direct target. I just want to tell them all: ‘Guys, be careful’.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also joined in the condolences, saying that Maksudov had performed his duty “professionally and bravely” in the very thick of action.
Russia has on numerous occasions accused Ukraine of deliberately attacking members of the Russian press. In July, Ukrainian artillery carried out a strike using cluster munitions – which are banned in more than 100 countries – on a group of reporters with RIA Novosti and Izvestia who, like Maksudov, were covering Ukrainian shelling. The barrage killed RIA war correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev and injured three other reporters.
