Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – A Ukrainian photojournalist and soldier who were with him appear to be “in cold blood” when they were killed in the early weeks of the Russian invasion as they searched Russian -occupied forests for the photographer’s missing photo. . Taking the drone, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday; Cite the conclusion of their investigation into the death.
The press freedom group claimed to have returned to the place where the bodies of Max Levine and soldier Olexi Chernyshev were found on April 1 in a forest north of the capital Kiev. The group said they counted 14 bullet holes in the burnt Hulk of their vehicle that was still at the scene.
The group said unused positions in Russia, one still in Bob, were found nearby. Remains of food rations, packs of cigarettes and other debris apparently left by Russian soldiers were also found.
Some of Levin and Chernyshev’s personal belongings, including the soldier’s ID documents and parts of his body armor and the photographer’s helmet, were also found, the statement read.
A Ukrainian team with metal detectors also found a bullet buried in the ground where Levin’s body lay. According to the group, the report suggests that “he was probably killed by one, possibly two bullets at close range while already on the ground.”
Petrol cans were also found where Chernysov’s burnt body was found, he added.
Reporters Without Borders says its findings “show that the two men were undoubtedly cold shots”.
Levin and Chernyshev were last heard from on March 13. The group said the GPS tracker in their vehicle took its final position in a forest north of Kiev.
Levin allegedly lost the drone in this area on March 10 and was never retrieved because it was hit by Russian fire. The drone has become a common tool for photojournalists to take aerial photos and videos.
Reporters Without Borders said Levine once shared information with Ukrainian forces on his drone, including positions in Russia.
“But the use of his drone was largely an attempt at journalism, confirmed by his entourage and presented by the media with images being sold after the start of the Russian invasion,” the note wrote.
The group suggested Levin may have been chasing his drone when he and Chernyshev were killed.
The group said they provided the collected evidence and dozens of photos to Ukrainian investigators.
The group said they could not confirm whether the men’s bodies had been dismembered, a step that essentially requires an investigation into their deaths.
It also appealed to Ukraine’s defense and intelligence agencies to give investigators any information on Russian units occupying the area during Moscow’s failed attacks in the early stages of the four-month war in Kiev.
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Source: Huffpost
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