Ukrainian MFA names media outlets whose journalists joined Russian tour in occupied Donetsk region

10.10.2025 19:23

Ukrinform

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is initiating entry bans for journalists and other participants who joined a tour of the temporarily occupied towns of Avdiivka and Kurakhove in Donetsk region, organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Ukrinform reports this with reference to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi’s statement at a briefing.

Tykhyi emphasized that such tours are both illegal and immoral while Russia continues to commit crimes against journalists and kill them. He also disclosed the list of media outlets that took part in the tour.

According to him, these include AFP, AP, TF1, Al Arabiya, Al Hadath, One America, the Chinese outlet Phoenix, and Turkey’s Milliyet.

The MFA Spokesperson said that Kyiv is contacting these outlets to convey the unacceptability of such actions and demand that they be stopped.

In addition to journalists, some individuals also joined the trip organized by the Russian occupiers — including bloggers and former officials from the United States, Slovakia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, and Turkey, Tykhyi noted.

“We have a list of these names. For each person on that list, we will initiate entry bans. Those who do not respect Ukraine’s state border should not be allowed to cross it in the future. As for the media outlets that took part in this tour — there will be broader reputational consequences,” Tykhyi said.

As reported, on September 28, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi expressed outrage over the participation of several international media in a press tour organized by the Russian Defense Ministry in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.