A blast is seen as Russian forces attack a TV tower in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 1, 2022. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
New York, March 1, 2022 – In response to media reports that Russian military forces shelled a television tower in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation:
“We are deeply disturbed by the Russian military’s attack on television infrastructure in Kyiv, which threatens to deprive Ukrainians of information at a time when it is desperately needed,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said. “Russian authorities must refrain from reckless attacks that could easily kill journalists and other civilians.”
The attack killed at least five people, knocked some television broadcasts off the air, and damaged the tower’s control room and an electrical substation, according to news reports and a tweet by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Shortly before the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry warned that Russian forces would strike Ukrainian security service infrastructure and a psychological operations center in Kyiv “to thwart informational attacks against Russia,” according to Russian state news agency TASS.
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Committee to Protect Journalists