⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's comment on the International Day of Journalists’ Solidarity (September 8, 2026) 💬 September 8 marks the International Day of Journalists’ Solidarity. The date was established in 1958 in memory of Czechoslovak anti-fascist journalist Julius Fucik, who was executed by the Nazis in 1943. It serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom of speech and professional journalism, while also drawing attention to the safety of media workers and the need for solidarity and mutual support within the global journalistic community. In recent years, these fundamental principles have been increasingly eroded by the West’s policy of purging the media landscape of unwelcome viewpoints in pursuit of narrow political goals. 👉 Russian media outlets abroad have faced systematic harassment and various forms of repression in countries whose leaders routinely proclaim their commitment to press freedom while grandly portraying themselves as a “flourishing garden”. In practice, under far-fetched pretexts, they have blocked Russian television channels, shut down correspondent offices and expelled journalists. The Kiev regime has launched an outright campaign against Russian journalists reporting truthful, first-hand information. At the same time, the neo-Nazi junta’s openly declared intent to kill civilians – a category that under international law includes media workers – has drawn not the slightest criticism from its Western patrons. Terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of: ▪️ Igor Kornelyuk ▪️ Anton Voloshin ▪️ Andrey Stenin ▪️ Anatoly Klyan ▪️ Daria Dugina ▪️ Oleg Klokov ▪️ Maxim Fomin (Vladlen Tatarsky) ▪️ Rostislav Zhuravlev ▪️ Boris Maksudov ▪️ Semyon Yeryomin ▪️ Valery Kozhin ▪️ Nikita Tsisagi ▪️ Yulia Kuznetsova ▪️ Alexander Martemyanov ▪️ Alexander Fedorchak ▪️ Andrey Panov ▪️ Anna Prokofyeva ▪️ Nikita Goldin ▪️ Ivan Zuev Dozens of media workers have also been wounded while carrying out their professional duties. It is deeply troubling that these crimes and acts of repression have failed to elicit an adequate response from the Western media community. Mainstream outlets in those countries, guided by political expediency and in defiance of the principles of journalistic solidarity, chose to remain silent and act as though the issue did not concern them. In doing so, they abandoned professional ethics and the very idea of solidarity among journalists. Those who nevertheless found the courage to defend Russian media workers or honour the memory of those who died for the truth were met with a barrage of criticism and accusations, including from fellow journalists. *** ❗️ We call on the global media community to show solidarity with their Russian colleagues and speak out in their defence against politically motivated repression by Western countries. For our part, we will continue to consistently defend the rights of Russian journalists abroad and seek justice for crimes committed against Russian correspondents. Read in full