BBC journalists attacked and equipment smashed in Russia

• Formal complaint to Russian authorities after ‘co-ordinated attack’ on team working on story about dead soldier
• Cameraman treated for concussion and other injuries

Tara Conlan
theguardian.com, Thursday 18 September 2014 05.48 EDT

The BBC has made a formal complaint to Russian authorities after journalists from its Moscow bureau were attacked and had their camera equipment smashed.

The incident happened after Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Moscow correspondent, and a newsgathering team had interviewed the sister of a Russian soldier who had been told he was killed in military exercises “on the border with Ukraine”.

According to the BBC, the cameraman involved is continuing to receive treatment for concussion and other injuries.

A statement released by the BBC said: “After filming in the city of Astrakhan, our team was assaulted by unidentified men in a co-ordinated attack. Our staff were badly beaten, their camera destroyed and then taken. After alerting the emergency services, the team was then taken to a police station for four hours of questioning after which they discovered that recording equipment – which was in their vehicle, at the police station – had been electronically wiped.

(More here.)