A producer from state-owned news channel RT's Ruptly video agency has become the latest Russian journalist to be deported from Ukraine amid increasing tensions in that country's media environment.
Alina Eprimian, a dual citizen of the United States and Russia, had been covering a protest against the mobilization of Ukrainian forces in town of Rakoshyno in western Ukraine last week when local reporters noticed her presence and reported it to the Ukrainian Security Service, RT reported.
"I entered [Ukraine] on a U.S. passport, and they are telling me to leave on the basis that I have a Russian passport," Eprimian tweeted on Friday.
Eprimian said that she was interrogated by the Ukrainian Security Service and that all her footage was deleted.
Eprimian is the second RT journalist to be kicked out of Ukraine in the recent weeks. RT reported on July 25 that a British contributor, Graham Phillips, had been deported from Ukraine and banned from re-entering the country for three years after being arrested near the Donetsk airport during clashes between Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Journalists from Russian state-owned media outlets such as LifeNews and channels run by the All-Russia State Television & Radio Broadcasting Company have been detained and deported from Ukraine on different occasions since the outbreak of the crisis.
See also:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
