Swiss Journalist Faces Charges in Russia for Illegally Crossing Border with Ukrainian Troops

Swiss Journalist Kurt Pelda Faces Charges in Russia

A Russian court has issued an arrest warrant for Swiss journalist Kurt Pelda, accusing him of illegally crossing the border alongside Ukrainian troops. If found guilty and apprehended, Pelda could face up to five years in prison.

The charges stem from an incident in August 2024, when Ukrainian forces launched an offensive into Russia's Kursk Region, capturing the town of Sudzha and dozens of villages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the incursion was an attempt to gain leverage during future peace talks.

A Kursk city court found that Pelda, a reporter with CH Media, was part of "an organized group" that illegally entered Russian territory to film a report about the Ukrainian incursion.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused foreign journalists embedded with Ukrainian forces of providing propaganda for Kiev and covering up crimes against civilians. Moscow claims Ukrainian soldiers have committed atrocities in the Kursk Region, including the killing of 22 residents of the village of Russkoye Porechnoye.

Zakharova also pointed out that the reporters were operating on Russian territory without visas. Moscow has previously issued arrest warrants for several other Western journalists who traveled with Ukrainian troops.

In January, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that the Ukrainian military had briefly detained Pelda and two other journalists on suspicion of illegally crossing the border into Russia. Pelda told the CPJ he feared that Kiev would not renew his accreditation due to the incident.