MOSCOW, Aug 2 channel that opened a case in absentia against VGTRK war correspondent Andrei Rudenko, he is accused of supporting a special operation of the Russian Federation.
«The security service has collected an evidence base on the propagandist of the sanctioned TV channels Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 24 (part of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company — ed.), collaborator Andrei Rudenko,» the SBU said. The department claims that in his materials he allegedly provides distorted information about the situation on the front line and is trying to discredit the Ukrainian military. The SBU report says that back in 2014, while living in Donetsk, Rudenko was one of the first to support the control of the city by the Donbas militias. «Then he actively expressed his own pro-Kremlin views during street actions and in front of Russian media cameras,» the SBU noted.
According to the intelligence service, a criminal case has been opened against him under the articles «encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine», «denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation», «collaborationism».
Dozens of criminal cases against Russian journalists, as well as political and public figures have been filed in absentia in Ukraine. In some cases, Ukrainian courts issued sentences, but none of them was held accountable.