"We have seen a colossal reaction from the Union of Journalists, from correspondents and newsrooms. Everything we have received, everything that has been published on this matter will not just be handed over or brought to UNESCO's attention, but will be stated as a protest," Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
UNESCO published the Highlights of the 2024 Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity on November 2. It omitted several cases of deaths and injuries among Russian journalists in the line of duty. In particular, the report did not mention Sputnik correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev, who died in July 2023 as a result of Ukrainian shelling in the Zaporozhye region.
The Rossiya Segodnya media group, Sputnik's parent company, has sent a letter to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay demanding that the organization stop hushing up facts about violations of the rights of Russian journalists. Similar letters have been sent to UNESCO by the Russian Union of Journalists, and the VGTRK and RT broadcasters.