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Kiev forces view journalists wearing 'press' vests as primary target — war reporter

Christelle Neant recommended using small "press" labels in order to help Russian troops identify media workers

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Journalists working in the special military operation zone should avoid wearing blue bullet proof vests with "press" labels attached because it will make them a primary target for the Ukrainian army, Christelle Neant, editor-in-chief of the International Reporters agency and a war reporter working in Donbass told TASS.

"They should not wear blue 'press' vests because it’s a target for both the Ukrainian army and the Israeli army. It’s like painting a target on your own head. All my colleagues who have been working in Donbass for a while are aware of that," she noted.

Neant recommended using small "press" labels in order to help Russian troops identify media workers. Journalists working in the conflict zone must not wear bright clothes that stand out, she added.

"Back in 2016, me and my colleagues once went to military positions in Zaitsevo. One of the journalists was wearing a bright blue T-shirt. The Ukrainian forces spotted us and opened fire. A similar incident took place in Dokuchayevsk, where a colleague of mine was wearing civilian clothes to military positions. We were spotted and after we left, they started shelling the positions. Thank God, there were no casualties among the soldiers," she noted.

According to Neant, "press" labels can be helpful when a conflict involves armies that respect international conventions, but "neither Ukraine nor Israel respects them.".