Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demands explanations from the German TV channel ZDF after their journalist visited occupied Mariupol and reported from there.
"Distorting reality is not journalism. Moreover, the ZDF Moscow bureau chief’s visit to occupied Mariupol without Ukraine's consent violated Ukrainian legislation. We call on ZDF to provide an official explanation. Violating Ukraine’s laws may impact media’s further work in Ukraine," wrote Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.
A ZDF journalist, Armin Coerper, who heads the channel's Moscow bureau, made a report on life in Russian-occupied Mariupol on January 29. According to him, the crew was able to enter the occupied city from the Russian side after receiving permission from the Russian Federation.
The journalist says that the city, which had previously suffered significant destruction due to Russian strikes, did not seem like a "ghost town" to him. He also noted that the invaders are rebuilding the city.
The journalist also noted that the residents of the city with whom he spoke were pro-Russian.
However, ZDF claims that in his report from Ukraine, the journalist "left no doubt" that Mariupol is a territory illegally occupied by Russia and who is the aggressor and victim in this war.