Italy slams Russian warrant for its journalists

Italy's foreign minister condemned as "persecution" Tuesday a Russian arrest warrant issued for two Italian journalists for reporting in a part of Russia's Kursk region held by Ukraine.

"The Russian arrest warrant against two RAI journalists is a further form of persecution against freedom of the press," Antonio Tajani said in a post on X.

"The Italian government will always stand in defence of the right to independent information."

Moscow has launched several criminal proceedings against Western journalists who produced reports from the Kursk region after Kyiv's surprise August incursion.

A Kursk court on Monday called for the extradition to Russia and arrest of Simone Traini and Stefania Battistini, who work for Italy's RAI public broadcaster, for "illegally crossing" the border from Ukraine.

The court ordered the pair to be "remanded into custody" on Russian territory or "from the moment of extradition" -- an unlikely event given the state of relations between Moscow and Rome.

It said they had "illegally crossed the state border of the Russian Federation" to film a report on the region's "invasion" by Kyiv's forces.

Russia had put the Italians and several other Western correspondents on a wanted list.

Ukrainian forces have controlled swathes of Russia's Kursk region since their August 6 incursion.

Russia has banned criticism of its Ukraine offensive.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government has been strongly supportive of Ukraine's fight against Russia, sending aid and weapons, although the latter are restricted to use within Ukrainian territory.