Journalists Shot, Shelled and Robbed as They Covered the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

At least three journalists have been injured by Russian troops since late February, and a Ukrainian reporter has been attacked for their reporting, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Russians opened fire on a Sky News team near the Kyiv region village of Stoyanka on February 28, according to news reports.

Those reports state that Russian soldiers shot chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay in the lower back, in addition to camera operator Richie Mockler, who was hit twice in his body armor. Ramsay is reportedly doing well following his injuries and his life is not in danger, according to those reports.

The Sky News team also included Martin Vowles, Dominique Van Heerden, and Andrii Lytvynenko, who were unharmed.

In the southern Ukrainian region of Nikolaev, Russian troops shot at and robbed freelance Swiss journalist Guillaume Briquet on March 6, according to media reports, a photo he posted on Facebook, and an interview he gave to French TV station BFM TV.

Four shots were fired at Briquet's vehicle, despite it being clearly marked as a "Press" vehicle, and four more were fired near his head, according to those sources. He sustained injuries to his head and arm from broken glass.

Briquet said that a group of men who called themselves Russian soldiers "robbed me, stole my money, and threatened to kill me" when he exited his vehicle with his hands up and identified himself as a journalist. According to news reports, soldiers took his passport, personal belongings, photographic equipment, a laptop, and more than 3,000 euros (US$3,319).

According to multiple news reports, heavy Russian shelling trapped two journalists with a group of civilians near Irpin, near Kiev, on March 5.

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, a local trade group, said the journalists had spent about four days without electricity, water, or food before they managed to escape unharmed.

Dmytro Replyanchuk was attacked while reporting at a monastery in Kyiv on March 7, according to news reports.

During the course of an interview at the monastery regarding the war, Replyanchuk and the camera operator, whose name was not disclosed in those reports or the media outlet's statement, were struck on the leg by a man with a stick, yelling at the reporters to leave, as seen in a video posted by Slidstvo.Info.

As the journalists left the scene, unidentified men tried to grab Replyanchuk's camera and shouted at them. A statement from Slidstvo.Info said the outlet had reported the incident to the police, but that the attackers had not been identified. Replyanchuk was not seriously injured.

CPJ documented that two journalists from the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet were shot by unidentified attackers on February 26, and Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Sakun was killed by Russian shelling on March 1.