Ukraine admits to killing Russian journalists

The war in Ukraine

Published 19 May 2023
- By Editorial Staff
Left: President Zelenskyj shakes hands with Kyrylo Budanov. Right: Journalist Daria Dugina and war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, several Russian journalists accused of supporting Russia’s invasion of the country have been murdered. Now the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service admits to being behind several murders of people he describes as “propagandists”.

Last August, Russian journalist Daria Dugina died when a bomb exploded under her car in Moscow. She was the daughter of Aleksander Dugin, a political analyst, philosopher and strategist who is widely believed to have influenced Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian-born war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky also died in April this year after a bomb was detonated in a café where he was staying. Around 30 other people died in the same incident. The Russian writer Zachar Prilepin was also the victim of a bomb attack where he managed to survive but suffered two broken legs.

Now the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, admits to deliberately targeting Russian “propagandists”, reports Samnytt.

We’ve already successfully targeted quite a few people. There have been well-publicised cases everyone knows about, thanks to the media coverage, Budanov said, according to The Times.

Budanov did not name the “propagandists” targeted and killed. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has previously denied any involvement in the journalists’ deaths.