Moscow said on Tuesday that criminal cases have been opened against two more foreign journalists for entering Russian territory illegally, bringing the total number of media professionals charged with border violations to seven since Ukrainian soldiers' incursion into the Kursk region in early August.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) has filed criminal charges against Nicholas Simon Connolly, a Deutsche Welle reporter, and Natalia Nagornaya, a correspondent for the Ukrainian television channel 1+1.
"Since Aug. 17, criminal cases have been initiated against a total of seven foreign journalists for illegally crossing the border," the FSB said in a statement.
The cases have been filed amid ongoing clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an incursion that Moscow claims was "orchestrated and supported by the West."
Last Tuesday, Moscow summoned American Charge d'Affaires Stephanie Holmes to formally protest the involvement of U.S. private military company (PMC) soldiers alongside Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, as well as the presence of journalists from U.S. media outlets covering the events.
Ukraine claims its forces have captured approximately 100 settlements, including the town of Sudzha, since the incursion began on the night of August 5 and 6.
Russian authorities reported that the conflict has resulted in 17 deaths, 140 injuries, and the evacuation of over 121,000 people from the region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the offensive is intended to establish a buffer zone, claiming that Western countries have prohibited Kyiv from striking deep into Russian territory, prompting him to attack the Kursk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion as a "terrorist attack."
