CNN Journalists Covering Cursk Will Be Sentenced To Russia For Being Considered Illegal To Cross Borders

JAKARTA - Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against a CNN journalist accused of illegally crossing Russia's borders for journalistic reporting in the Kursk region.

Reuters told the Interfax news agency that journalist Nick Paton Walsh was known to be a British citizen. FSB also opened similar cases against two Ukrainian journalists

Interfax quoted the FSB as saying Moscow would soon issue an international arrest warrant related to the case.

The maximum sentence for anyone found guilty crossing the border illegally is threatened with five years in prison.

It was previously reported that Russia summoned senior US diplomats to protest the "provocative actions" of American journalists covering the Kursk area in Russia.

The Foreign Ministry said it had notified US Business Authority Stephanie Holmes the journalists had illegally crossed into the region, where Ukrainian troops carried out the attack two weeks ago. It said Russia intended to try them.

Reported by Reuters, Tuesday, August 20, Moscow appears to be referring to reports by the Washington Post and CNN from Sudzha, the Russian border town currently under the control of Kyiv.

In a CNN broadcast, journalists traveled by Ukrainian military convoy from Ukraine to Sudzha, where they stopped in an almost deserted city with several dozen elderly citizens remaining.

For the Washington Post, a reporter, a videographer and a photographer traveled to Sudzha on Saturday escorted by Ukrainian troops, and interviewed dozens of Russian civilians and Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was protesting against the actions of American journalists who "illegally entered the Kursk region for coverage of the Kyiv regime's crime propaganda".

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was protesting against the actions of American journalists who "illegally entered the Kursk region for coverage of the Kyiv regime's crime propaganda".