Russia launches criminal probe into death of journalist in Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Rostislav Zhuravlev, correspondent for Russia's RIA news agency, poses for a picture at an unknown location in this undated picture released July 22, 2023. RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) - Russia's Investigative Committee said on Sunday it had launched a criminal probe into the killing of a Russian war reporter, an incident the country's defence ministry previously blamed on Ukraine's use of cluster munitions.

The committee said on its website that "armed Ukrainian formations targeted and deliberately fired at a group of Russian journalists" working near Pyatikhatka, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.