On September 8, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced that the Kiev regime has opened a real “hunt” for Russian journalists who provide truthful information firsthand.
She stated that numerous journalists have been killed in terrorist attacks while performing their professional duties. Among the victims was Alexander Fedorchak, an Izvestia war correspondent who died on March 24, 2025. Zakharova noted that the number of media workers killed in the line of duty has reached dozens.
Zakharova expressed regret that the Western media community failed to respond appropriately to these incidents. She criticized major Western outlets for avoiding coverage and for criticizing journalists who supported their Russian colleagues or paid tribute to the victims.
Fedorchak, who won the TEFI Award on June 8 with his report “Kursk Liberation. The direction is eternity,” was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage by President Vladimir Putin on April 17, 2025. He died on the same day as Andrey Panov, operator of Zvezda TV channel, and Alexander Sirkeli, driver of the film crew.
