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Attacked
February 20
Aleksandre Minkin, Moskovsky Komsomolets, ATTACKED
Minkin, a political columnist for the Russian daily Moskovsky Komsomolets, and his wife were awakened early in the morning by the sound of glass breaking on the balcony of their second-story apartment. As two masked intruders stumbled over wiring from the Minkins' television, Minkin rushed out and called to neighbors to contact the police. By the time police arrived at the scene, the intruders had fled. This is the second time Minkin has been physically attacked: last September, Minkin was assaulted and suffered a broken nose. CPJ urged Russian authorities to investigate the attack on Minkin.
February 23
Aleksandre Krutov, Moskovskiye Novosti, ATTACKED
Krutov, a correspondent in the Volga region city of Saratov for the Russian weekly Moskovskiye Novosti, was beaten by two men. Krutov's Moscow-based editor, Mikhail Shevelov, confirmed reports that the men approached Krutov in Saratov's central district in the evening and struck him more than 10 times on the head with metal pipes. Shevelov reported that Krutov has recovered and is back at work, but he had no information about possible motives for the attack. However, a Feb. 23 NTV news broadcast suggested that the attack may have been linked to an article Krutov wrote in Moskovskiye Novosti's Feb. 4-11 issue. The article, titled "The Chechen Syndrome in the Volga Region," exposed the ways in which local Saratov government leaders have exploited ethnic issues to advance their political and business aims.
August 8
Steve Harrigan, CNN, ATTACKED
Sergei Volkov, CNN, ATTACKED
Vladimir Ribalchenko, CNN, ATTACKED
Abdul Gudantov, CNN, ATTACKED
CNN producer/correspondent Harrigan; cameraman Volkov; sound technician Ribalchenko; and driver Gudantov were shot at by a Russian military helicopter on the outskirts of Grozny, the Chechen capital. They had been driving in an armored Land Rover vehicle that was clearly marked with the letters "T.V." on the roof and sides. When they got out of the vehicle at a Russian military checkpoint a Russian helicopter gunship flying overhead began firing at the journalists. The crew scrambled back inside their vehicle and drove away. No one was hurt in the incident.
August 8
Andrei Babitskiy, Radio Liberty, ATTACKED
Vladimir Dolin, Spanish State News Agency (EFE), ATTACKED
Erad Faist, Worldwide Television News (WTN), ATTACKED
Sebastian Smith, Agence France-Presse (AFP), ATTACKED
Babitskiy, a reporter for Radio Liberty; Dolin, a correspondent for EFE; Faist, a WTN producer; and Smith, a correspondent for AFP, were traveling in Chechnya in a Land Rover vehicle owned by London-based WTN, when Russian soldiers began firing at the vehicle from a nearby field. WTN told CPJ that the Land Rover was clearly marked as a press vehicle. On their way to Grozny, the journalists were stopped at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. A Russian soldier told them to turn back and threatened to destroy their equipment if they did not. When the journalists complied, they were fired at again. A rocket-propelled grenade was then shot at the van, but narrowly missed it. Two hours later, as the crew tried entering Grozny from another side, their vehicle came under fire from Russian helicopter gunships and automatic weapons on the ground. The journalists fled the vehicle to seek shelter in nearby brush. Faist kept his video camera going throughout the attack. The footage, which showed the journalists seeking cover in the woods, where they hid for about 20 minutes while the helicopters continued firing at them from both sides, was broadcast on international television. No one was hurt in the attack, but the car was hit in three places.
For more information contact europeweb@cpj.org