Top Russian Propagandist Killed on Ukraine Frontlines, Solovyov Confirms

Boris Maksudov, a military correspondent with the state-run Russia-24 TV channel, has been killed in Ukraine, a host on the network announced on Thursday.

Russia's Defense Ministry had said Wednesday that Maksudov was wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia front, but that his injuries were not life-threatening.

The news comes as Ukraine's counteroffensive to reclaim its territory is now in its sixth month, with particularly heavy clashes taking place along the front lines in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian territories in the fall of 2022, including Zaporizhzhia, although its military is not in full control of any of them.

Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement to Newsweek that Maksudov "died today from his wounds." Newsweek has also reached out to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry for comment.

"Boris Maksudov, a military correspondent for the Russia-24 TV channel, has died," Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent Kremlin propagandist and state TV host, said on his Telegram channel.

The Defense Ministry said that on Wednesday, Ukraine's forces attacked a group of Russian journalists with a drone. Maksudov, the military department reported, received shrapnel wounds and "was promptly evacuated to a medical facility of the Russian Ministry of Defense."

In his statement, Solovyov said Maksudov was wounded in Zaporizhzhia while filming a report on Ukrainian shelling.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit a group of journalists from Russia with a UAV," he said.

Solovyov said Maksudov worked in Ukraine from the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion of the country and had been to the eastern Donetsk region several times "where he documented the war crimes of the Kyiv regime."

Dmitry Kiselyov, the CEO of the Russian media group Rossia Segodnia, said Maksudov "died a hero's death, like a brave fighter," according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

Russian military analyst Ian Matveev raised questions about the reporter wearing full military gear while on the front lines in Ukraine.

"Russian propaganda says that journalist Boris Maksudov died at the [front lines in Ukraine]. There's just a nuance - if you look like this at the front, then you're not a journalist, but a soldier," he said in a post on X, previously known as Twitter, publishing a state TV clip of the correspondent.

The Russian-installed head of annexed Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, expressed his condolences in a Telegram post after hearing news of the reporter's death.

"This is a terrible loss. A true professional and patriot, he died performing his duty, like a soldier on a combat post. His dedication to the profession, courage and fortitude will remain a worthy example for everyone who has connected their lives with journalism," he wrote.

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Update 11/23/23 at 11:18 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry.

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