Russia's Foreign Ministry said on August 16 that it had summoned Italy's ambassador to Moscow over what it said was "illegal border crossing" by a team of correspondents from Italian state broadcaster RAI who reported this week from Ukrainian-held parts of Russia's Kursk region. The Foreign Ministry said "strong protest was expressed to the ambassador in connection with the actions of the RAI film crew that "illegally entered the territory of the Russian Federation." The Italian Foreign Ministry told Reuters that the ambassador, Cecilia Piccioni, had explained to Russian authorities that RAI and its news teams "plan their activities in a totally independent and autonomous way."
Russia Summons Italian Ambassador Over Journalists Reporting From Kursk
A fire at a residential building following a missile attack in Kursk (file photo)