MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Journalist Yelena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov have departed Beslan for Moscow with Chief Editor of Novaya Gazeta newspaper Dmitry Muratov and journalist Alexey Venediktov (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) by a special flight, the paper reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.

"Yelena Milashina and Alexander Nemov have departed Beslan for Moscow by a special flight with Chief Editor of Novaya Gazeta Dmitry Muratov and Alexey Venediktov," the report said.

Milashina and Nemov have been assaulted by unidentified assailants in the southern Russian region of Chechnya, after which they were taken to a hospital in another southern Russian region, North Ossetia. According to North Ossetian human rights commissioner Tamerlan Tsgoev, both suffered multiple fractures and the lawyer was also stabbed. Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has reached out to the Chechen Investigative Committee, Interior Ministry and prosecutor’s office in connection with the incident.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the incident as a very serious attack requiring very vigorous action, adding that the president had been briefed about the assault.