On March 13, Maks Levin disappeared and his body was found a few weeks later.
Investigation results now confirm that the journalist was shot.
Kyiv - The bloody war in Ukraine has been going on for four months now.
Casualties piled up on both sides, but the horrors of Russia's war of aggression also caught up with civilians.
Even journalists are at great risk, according to a report by
Reporters Without Borders
.
The focus is on the Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin, who, according to the latest information, was murdered by Russian soldiers in the early days of the war.
Murder of Ukrainian journalist: investigation finds clear evidence
On March 13, Levin, 40, and his companion, Ukrainian soldier Oleksiy Chernyshov, disappeared in a forest near the village of Huta-Mezhyhirs'ka, some 30 kilometers north of Kyiv.
At that time, the Russian advance on the Ukrainian capital was still in full swing, and the forest was already partially occupied by invading troops.
The bodies of the two men were found two and a half weeks later, on April 1st.
An investigation by local authorities revealed that the two were shot dead by Russian soldiers.
⚡️#Ukraine🇺🇦: in an exclusive investigation including material evidence, RSF reveals that journalist #MaksLevin and his friend were executed by Russian soldiers on 13 March 2022.https://t.co/qFT5WmMw6X pic.twitter.com/AiLs5lN6ec
— RSF (@RSF_inter) June 22, 2022
"The evidence against the Russian forces is overwhelming," said a synopsis of the case by
Reporters Without Borders
.
From May 24 to June 3, the organization conducted an independent investigation, examining the crime scene north of Kyiv in detail.
The investigations quickly took on personal traits, especially for the French photojournalist Patrick Chauvel, who led the investigation with his colleague Arnaud Foger: In February he had been working with Levin in the Donbass before Levin traveled to the area around Kyiv after the outbreak of war.
Investigations revealed that the experienced Levin lost his drone over the forest on March 10 while he was just about to photograph the advance of the Russian army.
Three days later, the Ukrainian returned to find his drone - by then much of the forest was already under Russian control.
According to the report, Levin was convinced he had captured a crucial angle with the drone footage.
He and his companion, who mainly acted as Levin's bodyguard, never returned from the forest.
Murder of Ukrainian journalist: bullets, ID documents and DNA evidence
Together with Ukrainian security forces,
Reporters Without Borders
were able to locate the crime scene and discovered the journalist's abandoned car there.
Investigators found numerous cartridge cases and bullets all around, and according to the report, they counted around 14 bullet holes on Levin's SUV.
In addition, Oleksiy Chernyshov's identity documents underline the presence of the two men, who were also found at the crime scene.
Scène de crime, preuves materiales - dont l'une des balles ayant directement touché le journaliste - objets ayant appartenu à des soldats russes... RSF a retrouvé de nombreux éléments.
Ils ont été transmis aux enqueteurs ukrainiens.#MaksLevin pic.twitter.com/K6XchzN5ph
— RSF (@RSF_inter) June 22, 2022
A large amount of evidence, including possible DNA remains from Russian soldiers and photographs taken by Chauvel of the crime scene, was handed over to the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU) for scrutiny.
The SBU then conducted a detailed questioning of the investigators in order to be able to clarify the case themselves if necessary.
Murder of Ukrainian journalist: "crimes against freedom of expression"
"The analysis of the photographs, the findings obtained on the spot and the evidence collected point very clearly to an execution that may have been preceded by interrogation or even torture," said Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of
Reporters Without Borders
.
“Maks Levin and his friend lost their lives in the fight for reliable information.
We owe them the truth and will fight to identify and find their killers.”
"Despite all the risks, Maks was determined to get his drone out of the forest - he wanted to secure evidence in the form of images," explains his colleague Patrick Chauvel.
"His assassination by Russian soldiers was a crime against freedom of expression.
The truth will not be hidden, the investigation will turn to you, Maks.
I promise to you."
Maks Levin is one of eight journalists killed so far during the Ukraine war (Reporters Without Borders; as of June 22, 2022).
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