Novaya Gazeta

• In a conflict like the war in Ukraine, many journalists risk their lives to report the truth and reveal war crimes committed by both sides.
• But when journalists themselves are targeted, these war crimes almost always go unpunished.
• At least 15 media workers have been killed in Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale war in February 2022.
• Threatening, attacking, disappearing and murdering journalists is not a new tactic of war in general – and certainly not unknown in Russia.

A dangerous (but vital) occupation

• In both instances, the media workers were able to survive the attacks and live to tell us the story.
• The same day, Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin, covering the war for Reuters, and his bodyguard Oleksiy Chernyshov were killed.
• He and his colleague Corrado Zunino were targeted by snipers, despite wearing vests clearly identifying them as press.

Heat of battle or coldblooded murder?

• Journalists are protected as civilians under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which Russia ratified in 1954.
• They are also considered civilians, but have the additional protection of being treated as prisoners of war if captured (from the third Geneva Convention).
• How many killings are in the heat of battle and how many are state-sanctioned?
• Kelly Bjorklund is a senior writer and editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.