Russian Telegram channel admits the missile strike on Reuters journalists was deliberate

The Russian Telegram channel "Dva Mayora" that posts militarist propaganda admitted that the missile strike on Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk (Donetsk oblast) on August 24, when Reuters staff stayed there, had been deliberate.

This was pointed out by journalist and blogger Denys Kazansky, who posted a screenshot from this Telegram channel.

"Dva Mayora" notes that the media workers had "illegally crossed Russia's state border," meaning their arrival in the Donetsk oblast, which Russia considers its territory.

"Insolent representatives of the Western world were shown the principle of inevitable punishment," the propagandists explain.

Screenshot from "Dva Mayora" by Denys Kazansky

Denys Kazansky noted that the Telegram channel "Dva Mayora" has over a million subscribers and is the mouthpiece for Russia's Ministry of Defense.

"As we can see, no one is even trying to pretend that the attack on the Reuters journalists was an accident. On the contrary, they are even proud of 'destroying a representative of the Western world,'" the journalist said.

He also remarmed that it has been clear since 2022 that media workers should not be staying in hotels near the front line.

"There have already been attacks on hotels in Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Pokrovsk. In these cities, we can only stay in rented apartments," added Denys Kazansky.

The Russian strike on Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, 2024

The Russian missile strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, 2024 killed Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the British news agency Reuters. Other two members of the Reuters team were injured and hospitalized. Reuters cameraman Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey was severely wounded. He is in a hospital in Dnipro. He is in a serious condition on IVL, and has undergone a surgery.

According to law enforcers, the casualties inlcuded four injured reporters: citizens of the USA, Germany, Latvia, and Ukraine. The injured journalists, aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, were provided with medical assistance. Two of them have been hospitalized, the others are being treated on an outpatient basis.

The National Police notes that Russia struck the hotel where a crew of foreign reporters was staying with an Iskander-M missile.

The international watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the Russian attack and called for a thorough investigation to identify the culprits and prosecute them.