The West turns a blind eye to the murders of Russian reporters even when they are hailed as a success by Kiev, Moscow has said

Russian journalists face constant death threats from “the Kiev regime and its abettors,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram following the death of prominent war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. The man was killed in an improvised explosive device blast earlier on Sunday. 

Tatarsky was a “danger" and “provoked the hatred of the Kiev regime” with his professional activities, Zakharova claimed. She expressed condolences to the family of the man, who, like many other Russian war reporters, worked courageously to inform the world about what was really happening on the ground in Ukraine.

Russian reporters are “persecuted, literally branded with special labels on digital platforms owned by American internet monopolies and are subjected to a witch hunt in the Western media,” Zakharova said, adding that international rights groups and organizations “silently ignore” this.

None of the killings of Russian reporters are ever met with compassion in the West, while voices in Kiev often describe them as a “success,” the spokeswoman claimed.  

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“The lack of reaction in the White House, on Downing Street and in the Elysee Palace… speaks for itself,” she added.

The war correspondent was killed in a blast in a St. Petersburg café, where he was giving a talk and meeting with followers. At least 32 other people were injured. The Russian authorities are still investigating the details of the incident, and have not officially commented on potential suspects.

Tatarsky, who gained prominence in Russia as a war blogger and reporter, joined the Donbass militias in the wake of the Maidan coup in 2014 and served with the local forces until 2019. Kiev placed him on a sanctions blacklist in January 2023.