Prominent Russian propagandist and pro-Kremlin TV reporter Yevgeny Poddubny was severely injured during a drone attack on Russia's Kursk Oblast on Aug. 7, Russian state media agency Rossiya 24 claimed.
Poddubny, 40, is one of Russia's leading pro-Kremlin propagandists having covered Russian conflicts in Syria, Georgia, and Ukraine. Poddubny previously filmed footage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including fighting at the Hostomel airport in Kyiv Oblast in the first days of the war, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Russia's Health Ministry said Poddubny was conscious and "in intensive care" in a local hospital following the alleged Ukrainian drone strike.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the claims and Ukraine's military has not commented on the alleged attack.
The alleged drone strike occurred as Poddubny was reporting on Ukrainian forces' incursion into Kursk Oblast. According to Russian state-run news agency TASS, Poddubny filed his last piece on the incursion hours before being injured.
The incursion, which began on Aug. 6, has thus far has resulted in clashes on Russian soil that were described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a large-scale provocation." Kyiv has not yet commented on the fighting in the area.
The Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
The Kursk region has a population of around 1 million people, 440,000 of whom live in the city of Kursk, the region's administrative center.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it would investigate the circumstances of the alleged attack, and that Poddubny would be presented with an award.
At least 17 Ukrainian journalists have been killed covering the war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
