THE Volodymyr Zelensky-led Ukrainian regime and its Western allies will not be able to “escape responsibility” for the murders of Russian journalists and war correspondents, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today.

Speaking on Russian Press Day, Ms Zakharova said: “Dozens of journalists and war correspondents tragically fell victim to targeted attacks by neonazis in the Ukrainian armed forces or the Kiev regime’s saboteurs, paying the highest price for their convictions. May they rest in peace. 

“Neither the direct perpetrators of these bloody crimes and terrorist acts, nor their leadership, nor the Western patrons of the Zelensky regime’s atrocities will be able to escape responsibility for these and other killings of civilians who are considered media workers under international law.”

Ms Zakharova noted that journalists are among the first to refute the large-scale dissemination of fake news about Russia and effectively block anti-Russian propaganda. 

She said: “Despite the censorship barriers erected by our enemies, Russian journalists manage to break through the information blockade and expand their audience, even in countries with the most intolerant attitudes toward dissent.”