CNN Journalist Ordered Arrested in Absentia by Russian Court

Nick Walsh has been accused of illegally crossing into Russia with the Ukrainian military

A Russian court in the Kursk Region has issued an arrest warrant in absentia for Nick Walsh, a CNN journalist. The court alleges that Walsh illegally crossed the Russian border in August while traveling to areas of Kursk Region occupied by Ukrainian forces. The warrant allows for Walsh’s arrest on Russian territory or upon extradition. Under Russian law, Walsh could face up to five years in prison.

Walsh was part of a group of Western media teams who visited the occupied areas of the Russian border region following Ukraine’s military incursion in early August. Ukrainian forces briefly occupied the area but were subsequently pushed back by Russian troops.

In August, Russian authorities initiated legal proceedings against Western and Ukrainian journalists who traveled to the occupied Russian territories. In mid-September, the Russian Interior Ministry announced arrest warrants for four journalists from American, German, and Italian outlets, as well as three Ukrainian citizens.

Nick Paton Walsh was part of a team that traveled to Sudzha, a town with a pre-war population of 5,000 that was overrun by Ukrainian forces in early August. According to CNN, Walsh was invited to the region by the Ukrainian government. He traveled with Ukrainian soldiers in an armored convoy, documenting damaged buildings in the town center and speaking with Russian civilians, some of whom were seeking shelter.

CNN responded to the news about the charges against Walsh by stating that its reporting has been factual and impartial, providing both Ukrainian and Russian perspectives on the war. CNN also asserted that Walsh was escorted by the Ukrainian military to view recently occupied territory and maintained that his actions were lawful under international law.

Moscow has accused the Western reporters who crossed the border of disseminating “propaganda” on behalf of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the foreign journalists embedded with Ukrainian troops were “manipulating public opinion” and ignoring “Kiev’s crimes against civilians.”

According to Russian officials, by late August, at least 31 civilians had been killed and 143 injured during Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk Region.

In addition to Walsh, the Russian Interior Ministry has issued arrest warrants on similar charges against Nick Connolly (Deutsche Welle, DW) as well as Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini (Radiotelevisione Italiana, RAI). In response, the Italian state broadcaster recalled its journalists from the region.