Russian journalists Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguev, and Orkhan Dzhemal were found dead on July 30, 2018. The three journalists were sent to the CAR by the Investigations Management Center, a media outlet of Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, to make a movie on an allegedly Kremlin-linked private military group operating in the country.
Bikantov told Sputnik in 2022 that the journalists were presumably murdered by the 3R illegal rebel group when they were moving along a roadway without guards.
"For our part, we regularly raise this issue in conversations with officials at the appropriate level," Bikantov said, adding that he recently handed over the second request of Russia's Investigative Committee for legal assistance in the investigation to the republic's prosecutor general's office.
The ambassador added that the investigation into the 2018 murder of three Russian journalists remains one of the priorities in the dialogue with the authorities of the CAR.
"As our counterparts assured us, they are taking all available measures to move forward with the investigation, despite the objective difficulties. There have been repeated outbreaks of activity by armed groups and internal migration processes in the region where the Russians have been killed... In general, the Central African Republic shows moderate optimism about the investigation," the ambassador said.
The latest comes after a high-ranking police source previously informed Sputnik that the investigation into the attempted murder of the CAR Russian House head was completed. It was noted at the time the forensic investigators was working on the case.