MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces are targeting Russian reporters as they receive cash money for each journalist they kill or wound, Alexander Malkevich, first deputy chairman of the Public Chamber’s commission for the development of the information community, told TASS.
Earlier on Wednesday, a shelling attack by the Ukrainian army in the Kremenskoye area wounded a VGTRK operator in the leg. Correspondent Artyom Youndas received a concussion.
"It is obvious to us that the Ukrainian armed forces are hunting Russian journalists. First, they always take notice of the well-known blue vests with the ‘Press’ tag. Second, [the Ukrainian armed forces] control traffic on all roads in borderline regions using satnav and drones. They understand full well that this is a peaceful group, they can see full well that these people are journalists, and they strike them consciously, to keep our fellow citizens from telling the truth. It is also an additional intimidation instrument," Malkevich said.
According to him, Ukrainian militants "get monetary rewards for each dead Russian journalist." "Partly, there are also such rewards for each wounded reporter. So, losing the real war, as well as the information one, they are taking revenge," Malkevich added.
"It would be good to speed up the passage of the law proposed by the Russian Union of Journalists on additional social benefits for journalists working in front-line communities, regardless of whether they are federal, regional or local in the State Duma," he concluded.