Moscow Vows to Pursue Accountability as Zakharova Marks International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting Russian journalists covering the ongoing conflict, warning that the safety of media professionals in war zones is deteriorating and demanding international action against those responsible for attacks on journalists.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, made the allegation in a statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, 2026.
Zakharova said the global situation regarding journalists’ safety had failed to improve, arguing that media professionals were increasingly exposed to violence, intimidation and politically motivated repression while carrying out their professional responsibilities.
She accused Western countries and their allies of using their influence to suppress dissenting voices and impose what she described as a dominant narrative on international events.
According to her, restrictions against Russian media organisations and their personnel in Ukraine, Moldova and the Baltic states had not attracted adequate condemnation from international institutions, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, UNESCO and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The Russian spokeswoman further alleged that Ukrainian forces had increasingly targeted Russian war correspondents operating near the front lines.
She expressed concern that the traditional blue PRESS identification displayed on journalists’ bulletproof vests, previously regarded as a protective symbol, had allegedly become a target during military operations.
Zakharova maintained that deliberate attacks against journalists constitute violations of international humanitarian law and called on relevant international organisations to ensure accountability.
Listing media professionals she said had been killed by Ukrainian militants over the years, the Russian spokeswoman named Igor Kornelyuk, Anton Voloshin, Andrey Stenin, Anatoly Klyan, Daria Dugina, Oleg Klokov, Maxim Fomin, popularly known as Vladlen Tatarsky, Rostislav Zhuravlev, Boris Maksudov and Semyon Yeryomin.
Others included Valery Kozhin, Nikita Tsisagi, Yulia Kuznetsova, Alexander Martemyanov, Alexander Fedorchak, Andrey Panov, Anna Prokofyeva, Nikita Goldin and Ivan Zuev.
She argued that the deaths of these professionals deserved greater international attention and investigation, insisting that crimes against journalists must never be overlooked because of political considerations.
Zakharova also criticised UNESCO’s recently published Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists covering 2024–2025, accusing the organisation of adopting what she described as a selective approach to documenting attacks and killings of media workers.
She said several Russian correspondents were again excluded from the report, despite Moscow’s efforts to have their cases recognised.
Although a link to official Russian information on the alleged crimes was eventually included in an annex following Russia’s intervention, she maintained that the report remained incomplete.
The spokeswoman recalled UNESCO’s 1997 General Conference resolution and its 2023 Executive Board decision, which, according to her, require the organisation’s leadership to condemn the killing of journalists and physical attacks against them without discrimination.
Reaffirming Moscow’s position, Zakharova declared that Russia would continue to pursue accountability through UNESCO and other relevant international platforms.
She also pledged that the Russian Foreign Ministry would sustain efforts to defend the professional rights of Russian journalists working abroad, promote safer working conditions and seek punishment for those responsible for attacks against media personnel.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed annually on November 2, was established through a 2013 United Nations General Assembly resolution to draw attention to violence against journalists and the persistent failure to bring perpetrators to justice.
The observance underscores the importance of protecting press freedom, ensuring the safety of media workers and ending impunity for crimes committed against journalists.
For the international media community, the central message remains clear: journalists must be protected, attacks against them must be investigated, and perpetrators must be held accountable, irrespective of nationality, political affiliation or the conflicts they cover.