CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen sparked outrage on social media after a user accused him of working with the Ukrainian army during the Kursk incursion
The Russian people are “fed up” with convoluted reporting by Western media, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Thursday. She was commenting on inquiries the ministry received on Wednesday regarding CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, who many Russians accuse of illegally crossing the country’s border with Ukrainian troops during their incursion into Kursk Region.
Pleitgen attracted attention on Wednesday when CNN published his report on the assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Kirillov was killed in a blast outside his residence in Moscow, with Russian investigators suspecting Ukrainian special services of orchestrating the attack. Pleitgen’s report was filmed at the scene of the crime, which made some users wonder whether he is officially authorized to be there.
Veteran’s Notes Telegram channel claimed that the journalist “illegally crossed the Russian border” this summer during Kiev’s Kursk incursion, and “was in one of the Nazi units” filming in Sudzha. The channel questioned Pleitgen’s right to film in Russia given his prior association with Kiev’s forces. The story gained public attention and was picked up by several media outlets. Ukrainian troops entered Kursk Region in August, with Kiev claiming that it had captured the town of Sudzha and territories along the border. Kiev’s territorial gains in Russia have largely been reversed since.
In an interview with journalist Vladimir Solovyov, Zakharova signaled that the ministry had a number of inquiries with regard to Pleitgen’s press credentials and his prior forays onto Russian soil. The spokeswoman denied claims that Pleitgen is in Russia illegally, saying that he currently has a Russian visa and accreditation. She said the ministry does not have data on his alleged illegal trips to Russia in August, but added that “the fact that he was making reports about Kursk Region at the time is certain” while “whether he made them on the ground or remotely, is unclear.”
The Veteran’s Notes linked its story to a video posted by CNN in August, which purported to show Pleitgen “reporting on Ukraine’s tactics, including their incursion into Russia.” Another video posted by the news outlet at the time was described as “Pleitgen goes on the ground with Ukrainian soldiers.” However, in both videos, the narrator says the footage shown was “obtained by” or “given to” CNN, without mentioning Pleitgen filming it.
According to Zakharova, the uproar caused by Pleitgen’s reporting is explained by the fact that the Russian public is “fed up” with the Western media.
“Our people are fed up with how Western media manipulates information and publishes outright fakes,” she stated. Zakharova noted that the Russian public may also be rightfully angry at a US reporter filming a story about such a sensitive subject as Kirillov’s murder, given that many Western outlets attempted to justify it. On Wednesday, for instance, The Times published a piece that described the incident as “a legitimate act of defense” by Ukraine.
“When a [Western] reporter is at the scene of the tragedy and does not consider it necessary to mention that this is a terrorist attack that took lives, this causes a storm of indignation,” she stated.
