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Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin executed 'in cold blood', report says

2022-06-22T19:00:04.417Z


Reporters Without Borders said it has evidence that Russian soldiers executed journalist Maks Levin in a forest near Kyiv on March 13.


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London (CNN Business) -- 

The non-governmental organization for journalism and freedom of expression Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it has evidence that Russian soldiers executed journalist Maks Levin in a forest near Kyiv on March 13. March.


Levin, a Ukrainian photojournalist who has worked with a number of major Western media outlets, including Reuters and the BBC, disappeared on March 13 while covering the Russian assault on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

His body was discovered on April 1.

RSF said it sent two investigators to Ukraine from May 24 to June 3 and concluded that Levin, and a friend he was with, "were executed in cold blood."

"The evidence against the Russian forces is overwhelming," the NGO said in a summary.

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The organization said it found ammunition and cartridges at the scene, the identity documents of the friend and soldier who accompanied Levin, and identified 14 bullet wounds in the vehicle in which they were traveling.

RSF said it also found several objects with possible DNA evidence, attesting to the presence of Russian soldiers in the vicinity of the crime scene and, crucially, locating a bullet right next to the site where Levin's body was found.

Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin poses for a photo in Donetsk region, Ukraine on January 12, 2018.

"The analysis of the photos of the crime scene, the observations made at the site and the material evidence recovered clearly point to an execution that could have been preceded by interrogations or even acts of torture," said RSF Secretary General Christophe Delore, about the report.

"In the context of a war marked by Kremlin propaganda and censorship, Maks Levin and his friend paid with their lives for their fight for reliable information."

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RSF said it submitted its findings, as well as all the evidence, to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office.

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On April 2, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said the journalist's body had been found in the Vyshgorod district of northern Kyiv, adding that "soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces killed the unarmed Maksym Levin with two shots."


Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians, including journalists, since its invasion of Ukraine began, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

CNN has not been able to independently verify RSF's conclusions.

Levin began working as a photojournalist in 2006, according to his biography on LensCulture, a photography resource website.

He worked for the Ukrainian media outlet LB.ua and was "well known" in his field, having contributed to Reuters, the BBC, TRT World and the Associated Press, according to the prosecution.

Journalist murderWar in Ukraine

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-06-22

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