Russian Foreign Ministry summons Italian envoy over presence of state media in Kursk battle zone

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the Italian ambassador to Moscow over the presence of journalists from Italian state media in the battle zone in the Kursk region.

The ministry said in a statement that it conveyed a strong protest to Ambassador Cecilia Piccioni "in connection with the actions of the film crew of the Italian state television and radio company RAI that illegally entered the territory of the Russian Federation" to cover Ukraine's incursion of the Kursk region.

"Grossly violating Russian legislation and basic rules of journalistic ethics, the Italian correspondents used their stay in our country to whitewash propaganda support for the crimes of the Kiev regime," it said.

The ministry stressed that as the actions of Italian citizens fall under the Russian Criminal Code, competent authorities "are taking the necessary steps to establish the circumstances of the crime committed by RAI employees for their legal assessment and appropriate measures."

Kyiv's incursion into Russia's Kursk region began on Aug. 6 when Ukrainian forces entered near Sudzha. On Aug. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation but did not elaborate on its objectives.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that around 9,500 people had been evacuated from the combat zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion as a "terrorist attack."

Independent verification of claims from both sides remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict.