#JOURNALISTS

Italian journalists who drew Moscow’s ire by reporting from Ukraine-held areas in Russia’s Kursk region will return to Italy, state broadcaster RAI said on Saturday.

The Italian ambassador to Russia was summoned by the Kremlin over what was described as an “illegal border crossing” made by two journalists from the Italian state television RAI.

Belarusian authorities have sentenced a local media journalist to five years in prison with a hefty fine.

At least seven Russian and Belarusian-speaking journalists and activists were targeted by the Pegasus spyware, a new investigation has revealed.

Russian journalists Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin have been detained on charges of extremism. According to Reuters, the charges are based on their cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic, Alexei Navalny.

In an alarming escalation of actions against independent media in Russia, the detention of five journalists has cast a stark light on the continuing crackdown on freedom of speech in the former Soviet Union. Among the detained are Antonina Favorskaya, Ekaterina Anikiyevich, Konstantin Zharov, Alexandra Astakhova, and Anastasiya Musatova.