Russia‘s FSB has filed criminal charges against Briton Nick Paton Walsh, CNN’s well-known International Security Editor. This is as well as two Ukrainian colleagues for crossing the border into Ukrainian-held territory of the Kursk region during an assignment, according to numerous reports.
An FSB spokesman was quoted on the state-run Interfax news agency as saying: “Criminal charges have been filed, and investigations are underway.”
The three journalists charged with “illegally crossing the state border of Russia” also include Ukrainian journalists Olesia Borovyk and Diana Butsko, according to the FSB.
If they are convicted, the charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison. The FSB said the journalists will soon be placed on an international wanted list.
Russian authorities are also pressing charges against two Italian journalists from the RAI for filming in the Kursk region town of Sudzha, which was captured shortly after Ukrainian forces launched their surprise incursion on August 6.
Italy’s ambassador to Moscow was summoned over the report. RAI has said its journalists are returning to Italy for safety reasons after Russian police opened a criminal investigation into their reporting trip.
On, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned a senior US Embassy official in Moscow over what it referred to as “provocative actions” by American journalists reporting from Ukrainian-held parts of the Kursk region, plus alleged US mercenary activity on Russian territory.
Mr Paton Walsh has filed several reports from Kursk, apparently while embedded with Ukrainian troops.
One brief clip showed the devastation inflicted in the region, including a badly damaged pictute of Vladimir Lenin.
Mr Paton Walsh, 46, has not posted on his X account since August 17, when he shared a picture of bombed out buildings, captioning it: “Sudzha, Kursk: Russian residents take shelter as Ukraine advances.”
Express.co.uk has contacted CNN for comment.