Journalists who participated in a press tour of the occupied territories of Ukraine face legal sanctions. This was stated on September 28 by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Georgiy Tikhiy. He emphasized that visiting such territories is a violation of Ukrainian legislation and international law.
This is reported by Kyiv24
International media at risk of sanctions and loss of reputation
Georgiy Tikhiy expressed concern regarding the participation of several foreign media outlets in an event organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to him, all journalists who crossed an uncontrolled section of the Ukrainian border may face a ban on entry to Ukraine and other legal consequences.
“Each participant violated international law and the national legislation of Ukraine by crossing an uncontrolled section of our state border, and all of them will face legal consequences, including entry bans.”
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stressed that participation in such tours will negatively impact the reputation of the media and their activities in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to address the central offices of the relevant media outlets with a demand for apologies and to cease such actions in the future.
Crimes against journalists and the issue of propaganda tours
Georgiy Tikhiy emphasized that such events organized by the Russian side have nothing to do with journalism and are an attempt to legitimize war crimes. He reminded that Russia is illegally holding at least 28 Ukrainian journalists, and the process of their release remains complicated and lengthy. He cited the situation of UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, whose release required significant effort and time.
According to official data, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed over 800 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine. Tikhiy emphasized that foreign journalists on propaganda tours are not shown the real situation in the occupied territories.
He also added that such press tours undermine trust in the media, as Russia is a state with strict censorship, leading people to more frequently choose alternative sources of information, including social networks. According to the spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun identifying the participants of the press tour and plans to take all necessary measures against them.
The exact date of the press tour is not specified. According to the Institute of Mass Information, on September 16, Russia organized another propaganda tour to occupied Donetsk for an international delegation that included representatives from eight countries: Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Slovakia, the USA, Turkey, France, and the Czech Republic.