UN Security Council demands investigation of journalists' death in Ukraine

UN Security Council adopted a statement on Tuesday, which called for an investigation of the journalists' death in Ukraine. Current chairman of UN Security Council, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's permanent representative, read out the text of the statement. "The Security Council calls for a thorough investigation of all violent incidents, including against journalists," said Churkin. VGTRK journalist Igor Kornelyuk died from wounds received in a mortar shelling at Lugansk in eastern Ukraine. Later, the body of video engineer Anton Voloshin was found. Cameraman Viktor Denisov who by a lucky chance didn't hurt under the fire identified him.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the death of VGTRK journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin in Ukraine, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said. The investigation has determined that a VGTRK filming crew came under mortar fire on Tuesday. Journalist Igor Kornelyuk sustained a serious injury and was delivered to the Lugansk regional hospital, where he died soon afterwards.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the death of VGTRK journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin in Ukraine, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said to Interfax on Tuesday. "The Russian Investigative Committee's main investigative department has opened a criminal case into the killing of VGTRK TV company journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin in the Lugansk People's Republic based on signs of a crime covered by Russian Criminal Code Article 356 Part 1 (the use of prohibited means and methods of warfare) and Article 105 Part 2 (the killing of two or more people in a publicly dangerous way in connection with their professional activities)," Markin said. It was determined by investigation that a VGTRK filming crew came under mortar fire. Igor Kornelyuk sustained a severe injury and was delivered to the Lugansk regional hospital, but he died soon afterwards. Sound engineer Anton Voloshin was first considered missing, his body was found later on Tuesday evening.

"The body, or, to be more precise, the remains have been found. They have been found right at the scene of a mortar attack in the community of Metallist," a spokesman for the Lugansk People's Republic told Interfax. Markin said cameraman Viktor Denisov "had a miraculous escape." In commenting on the journalists' deaths, Markin said, "The so-called members of the National Guard and Ukrainian authorities first abducted journalists and tortured them" and now "switched to killings." This is being done "with the only goal of concealing the crimes committed earlier," as journalists make it difficult for "those invested with power to conceal crimes they commit hourly on Ukrainian territory, and not only in the southeast of it." "It is the fear of exposure that has absolutely untied the Ukrainian junta's hands. The whole world will learn about each of their crimes, and everyone responsible will be punished," he said.

The press service of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic has confirmed the death of Anton Voloshin, the second member of a filming crew of the Russian state TV and radio company VGTRK. "Yes, the body, or, to be more precise, the remains have been found. They have been found right at the scene of a mortar attack in the community of Metallist," a press service member told said Interfax.

Moscow demands that Kiev carefully investigate the death of Russian journalist Igor Kornelyuk and severely punish those responsible. "We demand that the Ukrainian authorities conduct an impartial investigation into this tragedy and severely punish those guilty," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Moscow expects that world media outlets would strongly and unambiguously denounce "this new crime by the Ukrainian security forces." "We are proud of all journalists who courageously bring the truth about the real events in Ukraine under machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire and airstrikes," Interfax reports.

The Kiev authorities and various combat groups committing real terror against journalists from Russia fear this very truth," the Foreign Ministry said.

"The Russian journalist's death has once again convincingly shown the criminal essence of the forces that have unleashed the punitive operation in the east of Ukraine, in which civilians continue being killed," it said. "VGTRK correspondent Igor Kornelyuk was killed, and his colleague, sound engineer Anton Voloshin, went missing as a result of mortar fire upon a place where no military sites were located" outside Lugansk on June 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has extended his condolences over the death of the VGTRK correspondent Igor Kornelyuk in an attack near Lugansk and expressed his resentment of the policies pursued by Kiev with respect to journalists. "I express my deepest sympathies to the colleagues and family over the death of the VGTRK journalist Igor Kornelyuk, and to all those seeking to tell the truth about what is happening in Ukraine, and again I want to express our resentment of the actions committed by the Ukrainian authorities with respect to journalists by constantly subjecting them to completely uncivilized treatment, by arresting them, creating obstacles and thinking up espionage accusations completely out of thin air," Lavrov told reporters.

"Overall, it is clear that in hotspots journalists are at risk and threatened - this has always been the case everywhere; but the threats that currently exist in Ukraine, which have eventually led to the tragic death of the VGTRK correspondent, are absolutely artificial. They are the result of the continued military operation against the Ukrainian people, against those in the southeast who want to defend their rights, who want to be heard, and all this is being done despite numerous promises to cease fire and sit down at the negotiating table," the Russian minister stressed.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic is calling for an investigation to be launched on a Russian journalist's death near Lugansk, said a press release, reports RIA Novosti. On Tuesday, the correspondent for Vesti Igor Kornelyuk died of sustained injuries during a mortar shelling of the village of Mirny near Lugansk in eastern Ukraine. Dunja Mijatovic said that she was "deeply saddened by the death of Russian journalist Igor Kornelyuk in eastern Ukraine". In recent months there were several high-profile attacks on Russian camera crews and also on a few foreign journalists. "This death is yet another horrid reminder that not enough is being done to protect journalists who risk their lives reporting from conflict zones in Ukraine," the OSCE representative said in a statement. Dunja Mijatovic "to swiftly and thoroughly investigate the circumstances of this deadly attack (hat led to the death of Igor Kornelyuk) and to hold those responsible accountable."tand bring all the perpetrators to justice. She also expressed condolences to the family and colleagues of the murdered journalist.

The National Guard of Ukraine executed aimed mortar fire at Vesti journalists, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, Vasily Nikitin, said in an interview to the Latvian Baltkom radio station. "They came under aimed mortar fire executed by the National Guard. There were no militiamen there. Most likely, they were shooting at civilians who turned out to be journalists," said Nikitin, RIA Novosti reports. /

A correspondent of Russia's radio and television broadcasting company VGTRK Igor Kornelyuk, who was injured during a shelling of the village of Mirny, near Lugansk, has died at the hospital. His colleague meanwhile goes missing. The Russian state broadcaster VGTRK has confirmed the death of its special correspondent, Igor Kornelyuk, as a result of an injury sustained near Lugansk. The information about other crew members still being checked. The press service for the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic said Anton Voloshin, a sound operator from a group of VGTRK journalists, went missing following a mortar attack in the village of Metallist near Lugansk.

"He [Voloshin] will be considered missing until his body is found or until he is found alive," the press service told Interfax. "It's impossible to get there [into Metallist], there is a heavy mortar attack going on there," the source said. "The VGTRK operator managed to leave there because he was filming everything from some distance," the source said. "The information about Igor's death in hospital in the Luhansk region has just been confirmed," a VGTRK spokesperson told Interfax on Tuesday. The fate of the television crew's sound operator, Anton Voloshin, is still unknown; currently he is considered to be missing, the spokesperson said.

Earlier the death of Kornelyuk was reported to Interfax by the deputy chief doctor at the Luhansk regional hospital, Sergey Babenko. Vladimir Inogorodskikh, the head of the press service for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said earlier on Tuesday that a VGTRK correspondent had been wounded in a mortar attack in the village of Mirny."