Zakharova called the killing of Izvestiya correspondent by the AFU a brutal crime

The death of Izvestiya correspondent Alexander Martemyanov in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) as a result of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is a cruel crime. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on January 5.

"The deliberate murder of Russian journalists is yet another brutal crime in the series of bloody atrocities of the Zelensky regime, which openly resorts to terrorist methods to eliminate its ideological opponents," reads the statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

It is emphasized that the car in which Martemyanov was traveling, as well as journalists from RIA Novosti and Bloknot Donetsk, was far away from the line of contact. This proves that the media representatives were purposefully attacked by the AFU drone.

"Attempts to cover themselves with meaningless excuses and general phrases cannot be regarded as an adequate reaction of the authorized authorities. The international officials, who stand up for human rights, will have to point directly at the perpetrators of these murders," Zakharova emphasized.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also called on UNESCO and other international organizations to show an appropriate response to the attack of the AFU on Russian journalists. Zakharova pointed out that such incidents occur because of the "deliberate ignoring of any crimes of the Kiev regime."

"All those responsible for the crime against Russian journalists will be identified and will suffer deserved and inevitable punishment," she concluded.

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Izvestia correspondent Alexander Martemyanov was killed on January 4 when a Ukrainian army drone struck a car on the Donetsk-Gorlovka highway. He died of his wounds.

As specified in the RF Ministry of Defence, RIA Novosti correspondents Maxim Romanenko and Mikhail Kevkhiev, editor of the "Bloknot Donetsk" Svetlana Larina and military correspondent Isabella Liberman also received shrapnel wounds as a result of the AFU attack.

In his turn, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said that the incident would be discussed at the next UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

Alexander Martemyanov has worked as a freelance correspondent for Izvestia since 2014. In 2023, he was wounded during shelling by the AFU in Donetsk, but returned to work after recovering. Martemyanov has been awarded the medal "For Bravery" and the insignia "For Merit to the Donetsk People's Republic" of the III degree.