British journalist detained by Ukraine forces
A British journalist working for the television station Russia Today has not been seen since his detention by Ukrainian government forces on Tuesday, according to the channel.
Graham Phillips, a blogger hired on a freelance basis by the Kremlin-funded channel, gained notoriety during the conflict in the east for his gonzo-style reports and his sharp online criticism of the Maidan protests and new Ukrainian government, declaring several times that he believes the country “does not exist” any more.
His reports, often from the centre of armed clashes, have become popular among pro-Kremlin bloggers and hated by pro-Ukrainian internet accounts, many of whom Phillips claims have threatened him. He was often accused of reporting wildly inaccurate claims as fact.
It is believed Phillips was detained with his local driver at around midday on Tuesday on the outskirts of Mariupol, where he had been filming at the morgue.
“They’ve taken my bulletproof jacket and my helmet, but on the other hand they haven’t in any way inflicted any form of injury or any actions on my person,” said Phillips in a phonecall to Russia Today made shortly after his detention before his phone was apparently confiscated.
The driver was released about six hours later, and was told that Phillips would be taken to Kyiv.
The channel said he was detained by the country’s national guard, and handed over to the SBU security services. There was no immediate confirmation from any Ukrainian authority that the journalist had been taken into custody.
Russia Today said it had been unable to contact Phillips since the phonecall, and believed he had been moved to Kyiv. The channel said it had made British consular authorities in Russia and Ukraine aware of the detention.
Ukrainian authorities have begun screening Russian journalists at entrance points to the country and many have been denied entry. At the weekend, two journalists from the Russian internet channel LifeNews were also detained in the east of the country and taken to Kyiv. LifeNews has close links to the Kremlin.
Ukrainian media reported that the pair were helping the insurgents. A video showing the men – their hands tied behind their backs and bags on their heads – purported to show they were carrying portable anti-aircraft missiles in their car. The OSCE’s representative on freedom of the media has called on Kyiv to release the pair immediately.
In a short video message released on Tuesday, cameraman Marat Saichenko admitted that the pair had entered Ukraine on the pretence they were going to a concert, and not as journalists. Ashot Gabrelyanov, the general director of LifeNews, tweeted that the Ukrainian security services were “terrorists” and “acting like al-Qaida”.
Earlier in the conflict, the separatist militias operating in eastern Ukraine detained a number of Ukrainian and western journalists. Simon Ostrovsky, a reporter for the internet channel Vice News, who was beaten and held in a cellar for several days in the rebel stronghold of Slavyansk. He was eventually released, though it is believed that many locals are still being held hostage in the area.