Another Russian journalist killed in Ukrainian strike

Anna Prokofieva, war correspondent for Russia’s Channel One, was killed on Wednesday while on assignment in Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine. The broadcaster confirmed her death and said that cameraman Dmitry Volkov had also been injured during the incident.

Prokofieva was reportedly working in the village of Demidovka, an area near active fighting. According to early reports, the 35-year-old journalist was killed either by a drone strike or a fatal shrapnel wound, although accounts of the incident differ.

Earlier this week, three members of news crews were killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and in Kursk Region.

In recent days, Prokofieva had been reporting from the recently liberated town of Sudzha, where she helped evacuate civilians from the area.

“Channel One war correspondent Anna Prokofieva was killed in the line of duty. This happened in Belgorod Region on the border with Ukraine, where the Channel One news crew hit an enemy mine,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

Her death was first reported by military blogger Vladimir Romanov, who wrote that she was killed on Wednesday while carrying out an editorial assignment. Romanov relayed via his Telegram channel that Prokofieva had been working in the village of Demidovka, in Krasnoyaruzhsky District.

Channel One cameraman Dmitry Volkov has been seriously injured and is currently on a ventilator, according to Acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein. He is being urgently transported to the Kursk Regional Hospital for treatment.

The broadcaster had reported earlier that Volkov had been working alongside Prokofieva at the time of the incident.

Prokofieva held a journalism degree from the People’s Friendship University (RUDN) and was fluent in Spanish. Prior to joining Channel One, she worked in the Spanish-language division of Rossiya Segodnya news agency. In 2023, she became a war correspondent for Channel One, covering the Ukraine conflict.

Commenting on the reporter’s death, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Kiev of deliberately targeting journalists and undermining international laws designed to protect members of the press.

Prokofieva covered the special military operation from some of its most intense fighting areas, often from Russian Armed Forces positions, according to TASS. She documented the demining of recently liberated territories, working closely with sappers and sometimes standing just meters from unexploded shells, the outlet said. While filming her reports alongside the troops, she reportedly came under fire on multiple occasions. (from rt.com)