Russia accuses CNN journalist of illegally crossing border into Kursk region

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has launched criminal investigations against several journalists, including CNN’s Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He is being investigated for allegedly crossing into Russian territory illegally.

Walsh, along with Olesya Borovik and Diana Butsko, who are two Ukrainian journalists, are accused of crossing the Russian border illegally near the Kursk region.

Last week, the FSB also filed charges against Italian journalists Simoni Traini and Stefani Battistini for a similar violation.

The FSB claims the journalists were in Sudzha, a town now controlled by Ukrainian forces, to film a report amid Ukraine’s ongoing offensive in the region. This legal action follows a CNN report aired on Aug. 16, which showed footage of Sudzha as a near-empty town, with only a few elderly residents remaining.

Walsh and his team traveled with a Ukrainian military convoy, capturing the aftermath of Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russian territory. The report further escalated tensions with Moscow. The Kremlin summoned U.S. diplomats earlier in the week, accusing American journalists of “provocative actions” in their coverage.

Ukrainian troops recently made significant gains in Kursk, marking the largest foreign military incursion into Russia since World War II. The FSB is now preparing to place the journalists on an international wanted list. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison for illegal border crossings.

The FSB’s actions come as Russian forces continue to struggle to regain control of the Kursk region and fend off further Ukrainian advances.