Russian Ambassador to the CAR Alexander Bikantov. File photoMOSCOW, January 20The new Russian ambassador to the CAR, Alexander Bikantov, told RIA Novosti that, according to preliminary data, three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic were killed by militants from the illegal armed group 3R in 2018. In the first In an interview as an ambassador, he told the agency that «as you know, journalists traveled at night unguarded along the Decoa-Sibu highway.»
"According to the preliminary version, they were stopped and killed by militants from the illegal armed group 3R" , — Bikantov said.
He recalled that «in December 2020, 3R, in coalition with other gangster groups, attacked Bangui, many civilians died, Bangui was not taken.»
A witness to the murder of journalists in the CAR gave all his evidence, the ambassador said»The CAR army was able to push back the bandits from Bangui and at the beginning of 2021 push illegal armed groups out of the borders of the CAR,» added he. Three Russians — journalist Orkhan Dzhemal, documentary filmmaker Alexander Rastorguev and cameraman Kirill Radchenko, who worked in the Central African Republic on the order of the Investigation Management Center (ICC) of Mikhail Khodorkovsky — were killed in the Central African Republic on July 30, 2018. The Investigative Committee is investigating a criminal case under the article «Murder». CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra said earlier in an interview with RIA Novosti that the country's government is making every effort to thoroughly investigate the incident. about the dead Russians