Russian court detains Hromadske journalist in absentia for reporting from Kursk

A court in Kursk, Russia, has taken Hromadske journalist Diana Butsko into custody in absentia for her reporting from Sudzha at the onset of the Ukrainian offensive in the region.

According to Hromadske, the Russian propaganda agency TASS reported on the court ruling on December 6, citing the joint press office of the Kursk region's judiciary.

The Russian investigators claim that Diana illegally crossed Russia's state border on August 6; the journalist was assigned the penalty as part of this case.

Diana Butsko, photo by Diana Butsko on Facebook

Diana commented on the news as follows: “It’s a bit strange that the Russian 'investigators' couldn’t even get the date of the report right. We were not in Sudzha on August 6. Do better, FSB comrades!”

In August 2024, the Federal Security Service of Russia opened cases against seven journalists, including Hromadske journalist Diana Butsko, for illegally crossing the border and filming in the Sudzha area. Later, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put the seven Ukrainian and foreign journalists on the wanted list.