ALBAWABA - Russia's FSB security service announced Thursday that it has filed criminal charges against journalists, including a CNN correspondent, who reported from Ukrainian-controlled parts of Russia's Kursk region for "illegally" crossing the border.
The FSB claimed it had started charges against CNN, Italy's RAI, and two Ukrainian journalists for illegally crossing the state border, which is punishable by up to five years in jail, and that they will be added to an international wanted list soon.
The FSB identified the CNN reporter as Nick Paton Walsh, the channel's lead international security correspondent, who reported from Sudzha on August 16.
Paton Walsh is a British journalist who has previously worked for Channel 4 News and The Guardian newspaper in Moscow.
The Ukrainian journalists were identified by the FSB as Diana Butsko, who reported from Sudzha for the Hromadske news site, and Olesya Borovik, who reported from there for My-Ukraina television.
The FSB stated that the criminal case against the reporters was based on the identical complaint that it had previously filed against two Italian journalists from the RAI public broadcaster, Simone Traini and Stefania Battistini, who reported from Sudzha last week.
Earlier this week, two Italian journalists who enraged Moscow with a television report from Ukrainian-controlled areas of Russia's Kursk region will return to Italy, national broadcaster RAI announced on Saturday.
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Italy's ambassador on Friday for what it described as an unlawful border crossing by an RAI crew.
