Russian sniper fire blamed for the death of Ukrainian journalist. On Wednesday, a Ukrainian journalist was slain as he and an Italian colleague traveled to Kherson.
“most likely by Russian snipers,” the Italian newspaper La Repubblica said of the shooting death of Bogdan Bitik, the interpreter for La Repubblica writer Corrado Zunino. After being shot in the shoulder, Zunino is in the hospital for treatment.
They had just passed three Ukrainian checkpoints when they were abruptly attacked, he said from his hospital bed, according to La Repubblica.
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“There was a hiss, and I looked down and saw Bogdan lying on the floor,” Zunino recalled.
He was entirely still. I squirmed out of harm’s way. Until I got past a regular automobile, I kept running. Blood was gushing out of me. Kherson Hospital was where I ended up.
He continued by saying that he had been attempting to reach Bitik, whom he called “a great friend,” but had received no response.
“It’s a terrible pain,” he cried out.
According to Zunino, the two men were attacked while covering the aftermath of the collapse of the Antonivskyi Bridge while wearing press vests.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 15 journalists and media workers have been slain in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
During a call for action by Italian organizations and media, including La Repubblica, the Ukrainian journalists’ union leader, Sergiy Tomilenko, dubbed the incident a “new war crime of the Russians.”
No, I’m good. Zunino said, “But I’m sad to have lost a friend,” on Radio Capital’s Breakfast Club.
I accompanied Bogdan on five separate expeditions. He was among the first people I met when I moved to Ukraine. He left his wife and son in Indonesia and moved back to Ukraine. I just got off the phone with his wife. They are all exceptional human beings who are generous and compassionate.
According to La Repubblica, locating Bitik’s body has not been feasible. After the city had been seized in the war’s early weeks, Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson in November 2022.
After retreating across the Dnipro River, Russian forces have continuously pounded the area with artillery fire, missiles, drones, and snipers.
Claudio Locatelli and Niccol Celesti, two Italian reporters, and their interpreter were attacked by Russian forces in the Kherson region in December 2022; all three survived, but Locatelli was injured.
