Court in Kursk arrests Briton in absentia for illegal entry into Russia for the sake of reportage

The Leninskyy district court of Kursk has sent British citizen Jerome Starkey, who illegally entered Kursk Region to film a report on the invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) into the region, to arrest him in absentia. This was reported on January 29 by the joint press service of the judicial system of the Kursk region in its Telegram channel.

"On 29.01.2025 the court elected a measure of restraint in the form of detention from the moment of detention of Jerome Starkey on the territory of the Russian Federation or from the moment of extradition. The judicial act can be appealed," - stated in the message.

The application for arrest was filed by the Border Department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia in the Kursk region. It is specified that the Briton is charged in absentia under Part 3 of Article 322 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation"). Starkey is declared in the federal and international search.

According to the version of law enforcement agencies, the British citizen entered the territory of the Russian Federation from Ukraine with other unidentified people to film a report on how Ukrainian armed formations invaded Sujansky district of Kursk region on August 6, 2024 with tanks, artillery and light armored vehicles.

Earlier, on December 25, 2024, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal case against foreign journalists Stephanie Battistini and Simoni Traini, who illegally crossed the Russian border and filmed in Suja.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 21 that the Russian Federation monitors every situation with the illegal entry of Western journalists into Russian territory. Zakharova reminded that foreign media employees can visit Russia only after receiving accreditation from the ministry and the appropriate type of visa.

The AFU attacked Russian positions in the border areas of Kursk Region on August 6. The situation in the region was recognized as a federal emergency. The liquidation of the AFU units that invaded the Russian territory is underway.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.