FSB Targets CNN Journalist for Illegal Border Crossing

Russia's FSB has opened a criminal case against CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh and two Ukrainian journalists, accusing them of illegally crossing the border into the Kursk region. The FSB plans to issue an international arrest warrant. The journalists had reported on Ukraine's recent incursions into Russian territory.

Russia's FSB security service announced on Thursday that it has initiated a criminal case against CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh for allegedly crossing the Russian border illegally. Walsh, a British citizen and Chief International Security Correspondent for CNN, reportedly entered the Kursk region to film a report following a Ukrainian incursion.

In addition to Walsh, the FSB said it had opened similar cases against two Ukrainian journalists. The allegations stem from an Aug. 16 CNN broadcast that included footage from Sudzha, a Russian border town now under Kyiv's control. The U.S.-based network has yet to comment on the matter.

In a statement, the FSB indicated that Moscow would soon issue an international arrest warrant related to the three journalists. The penalty for illegal border crossing can be up to five years in prison. Earlier in the week, Russia summoned a senior U.S. diplomat in Moscow to protest against what it described as 'provocative actions' by American journalists operating in the Kursk region.

(With inputs from agencies.)