'British reporter for Russian TV captured by Ukraine'

Image
AFP Moscow
Last Updated : Jul 23 2014 | 11:11 PM IST
A British journalist reporting for a Russian television channel from conflict-torn eastern Ukraine went missing today, with Moscow alleging he and another journalist were captured by Kiev's troops.
Graham Phillips, a British national who works as a stringer for state-owned channel RT (formerly Russia Today), went to cover intense fighting around Donetsk airport yesterday, but RT has had no contact with him since the early hours today, it said.
Russia's foreign ministry said Phillips disappeared together with a cameraman for Anna-News, an obscure agency based in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia that produces pro-Russian reports from the Ukraine conflict.
"According to available information, they have been captured by Ukrainian forces," the ministry statement said, calling it a "targeted provocation of Ukrainian authorities towards independent international journalists."
Also today, the US ambassador to Ukraine wrote on Twitter that a Ukrainian journalist had been abducted by pro-Russian rebels. The Donetsk-based website 62.Ua quoted sources as saying that he was abducted from a hotel while working for CNN.
"We deplore the abduction of journalist Anton Skiba in Donetsk and call for his immediate release. Separatists' kidnapping must end," the ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt wrote.
RT said that it lost contact with Phillips after receiving a text message saying "All is fine" at around 2:00 am. It said he was not reporting for RT at the time.
Anna-News today said that the two journalists were "captured by Fascists," giving only the first name of its own reporter, Vadim.
RT said it had warned Phillips not to go to the airport since it was "extremely dangerous" but had understood from his social networking posts that he had gone anyway.
It also quoted another journalist named as Maksim Dimitrov as saying that Phillips had gone ahead to the airport last evening and "most likely ran into an ambush" but "we presume he is alive."
Phillips, who writes on Twitter as GrahamWPhillips, last tweeted on Tuesday evening, saying: "There's been some heavy shelling and I'm right by Donetsk airport as it looks to be an active night here."
Russia's foreign ministry called for the journalists "immediate release", adding that "they say 'truth hurts'. And that is what Kiev fears." It said that two other journalists were also detained overnight but did not name them.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 23 2014 | 11:11 PM IST

Next Story