Boris Maksudov, a correspondent for the Russian state television network Rossiya 24, died after allegedly being injured in a Ukrainian drone strike, prominent Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said on Nov. 23.
At the time of this publication, it is impossible to confirm the incident's details and attribute any responsibility. There were no official comments from Kyiv.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Nov. 22 that Maksudov had been working in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast with other Russian correspondents when a Ukrainian drone allegedly struck the area. The ministry then said that Maksudov's injuries were not life-threatening.
In a video shared by Maksudov, he and the other correspondents were wearing military uniforms, and it was difficult to see if there was an inscription that said "press." It can be challenging to distinguish soldiers from the press without such insignia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that it was a "big tragedy."
Solovyov has regularly made outlandish claims and a variety of threats against the West, including that Russia should use nuclear weapons. He also urged escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine and called for strikes against civilian targets.
Speaking on state television, Solovyov commented on Maksudov's death, adding that he had been killed while working on a story to document Ukraine's purported shelling of civilians.
Ukrainian forces allegedly shelling civilians in the Donbas has been a regularly repeated Kremlin talking point since the beginning of hostilities in 2014. The claims have been thoroughly debunked.
On the other hand, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians kill and wound people daily.
Regional Ukrainian authorities reported early on Nov. 23 that Russian attacks had killed three and injured four civilians over the past 24 hours.
The Prosecutor General's Office said that by June, 63 journalists from 14 countries, including Ukraine, had been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to Serhii Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Russia is also holding at least 25 Ukrainian journalists prisoner.
Alexander Khrebet
(Updated: )
