Russian police have opened a criminal investigation after a team of BBC journalists was attacked in the southern city of Astrakhan.
At least "three aggressive men" took part in the attack, during which a cameraman was beaten and his camera smashed, the BBC reported Thursday, citing its Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
The attackers made make their escape in a getaway vehicle, the report said.
The journalists — who had traveled to Astrakhan to investigate reports of Russian servicemen being killed near the border with Ukraine — were questioned by police for four hours after the attack.
Upon returning from the police station, the journalists discovered that recording equipment left in their car had been tampered with.
A hard drive from their main computer as well as several memory cards had been wiped clean of any information, the BBC quoted Rosenberg as saying.
Pyotr Rusanov, a spokesman for the local police, confirmed a victim had filed a report at the station and that a criminal investigation had been opened on charges of robbery, state-run RIA Novosti reported Thursday.
The journalists are now back in Moscow and are safe, the BBC said.
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