Ukraine warns journalists against Russia’s offer to travel to Donbass
Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy issued the warning after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed arranging a secure route for foreign reporters to visit areas allegedly surrounded by Russian troops.
In a post on X on Thursday, Tikhy referenced the Ilovaysk incident of August 29, 2014, urging journalists not to trust such offers. During that battle, Ukrainian soldiers were trapped by forces from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) — now incorporated into Russia — and suffered heavy losses after rejecting the DPR’s proposal to withdraw unarmed.
Tikhy warned of potential “Russian provocations against journalists” and added:
“I also remind all media that any visits to Russian-occupied territory without Ukraine’s permission are a violation of our legislation and international law. They will have long-term reputational and legal consequences. We are watching closely.”
On Wednesday, Putin said Russia was prepared to grant Ukrainian and foreign reporters access to the frontline so they could “see with their own eyes” the situation in Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), Kupyansk, and Dimitrov (Mirnograd), where he claimed Ukrainian forces were surrounded.
The Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed that it had been ordered to temporarily pause combat operations for “five to six hours” and open “corridors” for journalists — provided Ukrainian forces agreed and ensured their safety.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has denied reports of any troop encirclement, accusing Moscow of inflating its battlefield successes. Meanwhile, Russia has claimed that Ukrainian forces have deliberately targeted journalists, citing the death of RIA Novosti correspondent Ivan Zuyev, who was reportedly killed in a drone strike earlier this month.
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