Russia threatens Italian journalists who shot a report in the Kursk region.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Italian ambassador to Moscow, Cecilia Piccioni, due to the coverage by journalists of the Italian state broadcasting company Rai of the battles in the Kursk region. This is stated in a press release of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is noted that the ambassador was expressed a "strong protest" in connection with the actions of the filming crew of the Italian state broadcasting company. The ministry stressed that allegedly the journalists "illegally entered" the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the Rai team, which worked in the Kursk region, "grossly violated Russian legislation and the elementary rules of journalistic ethics."

"Having violated Russian legislation and elementary rules of journalistic ethics, the Italian correspondents used their stay on the territory of our country to justify the propaganda support of the crimes of the Kyiv regime," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatened journalists with criminal liability on the territory of Russia, adding that "competent authorities are taking necessary steps to establish the circumstances of the crime committed by Rai employees."

This week, Rai reporters Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini showed a report on the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region, probably becoming the first foreign journalists to gain access there.

After this, Russian Telegram channels reported that Russian security forces want to initiate a criminal case against the journalists for "illegal crossing of the state border."

Italian journalist unions Usigrai and Fnsi called the claim of possible criminal prosecution of Rai employees unacceptable, reminding that "journalism is not a crime."

Recall that on August 14, Ukrainian journalists visited Sudzha in the Kursk region for the first Time after the arrival of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They talked to local residents and showed the situation in the Russian region.