Russian court orders arrest in absentia of CNN journalist

Nick Walsh has been accused of illegally crossing into Russia with the Ukrainian military

A district court in Russia’s Kursk Region issued an in-absentia arrest warrant against an American journalist for CNN, Nick Walsh, on Friday. The network’s chief international security correspondent, Walsh stands accused of illegally crossing the Russian border in August, when he traveled to parts of Kursk Region occupied by the Ukrainian military.

The court ordered the journalist’s arrest on Russian territory or upon extradition. Under Russian laws, Walsh could potentially face up to five years behind bars on the charges.

The American reporter was among several Western media crews that traveled to the occupied parts of the Russian border region in the wake of Kiev’s incursion into the border area. Ukrainian forces invaded the region in early August.

While they made some initial progress in the early days of the operation, they were quickly contained by Russian forces. Moscow’s troops have been gradually pushing them away from the region ever since.

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Russia issues arrest warrants for Western reporters

In August, Russian authorities initiated legal proceedings against Western and Ukrainian reporters who traveled to the occupied Russian areas. In mid-September, the Russian Interior Ministry stated that it had put out warrants for the arrest of four journalists from American, German and Italian outlets, and of three Ukrainian nationals.

Nick Paton Walsh was part of a team that arrived to Sudzha – a town with a pre-conflict population of 5,000 that was overrun by the Ukrainian military in the first days of the incursion in early August. According to CNN, he did so at the invitation of the Ukrainian government. The journalist traveled in an armored convoy with Ukrainian soldiers, filmed damaged buildings in the center of the community and spoke to Russian civilians, some of whom were taking refuge in a shelter.

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Moscow charges CNN journalist with illegal border crossing

The US broadcaster responded to the news about its correspondent facing charges in Russia by claiming that it had “delivered factual, impartial reporting covering both the Ukrainian and Russian perspectives on the war.” It also stated that Walsh was “escorted by the Ukrainian military to view territory it had recently occupied,” and maintained that his actions were within international law.

Moscow has accused the Western reporters who crossed the border of providing “propaganda” on behalf of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said the foreign journalists embedded with Ukrainian troops were “manipulating public opinion” and staying silent about “Kiev’s crimes against civilians.”

According to Russian officials, at least 31 civilians had been killed and 143 wounded during Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk Region by late August.

According to the Interior Ministry in Moscow, arrest warrants on similar charges were also issued against Nick Connolly (Deutsche Welle, DW) as well as Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini (Radiotelevisione Italiana, RAI). The Italian state broadcaster recalled its journalists in the wake of the development.