Conflict zone reporters from Russia, Lebanon, and the UAE were recognized for their coverage of fighting in Gaza and Ukraine
The jury in the 2024 Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards has announced this year’s winners, honoring exceptional war reporting from conflict zones around the world. Journalists from Russia’s Zvezda and NTV, as well as Al Mashhad TV, based in the UAE, have been recognized for their contributions.
These awards were established in memory of Khaled Alkhateb, an RT Arabic correspondent who was killed in Syria in 2017.
This year’s jury, chaired by RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, included RT Arabic war correspondent Sargon Hadaya and Russian frontline journalist Evgeny Poddubny.
In August, Poddubny was seriously injured in an FPV drone attack on his car in Russia’s Kursk Region amid Ukraine’s incursion into the area. He was taken for treatment to Moscow with severe burns, traumatic brain injury, and facial skeletal injury. After his discharge from hospital, Putin signed a decree awarding him the prestigious title ‘Hero of Russia.’
In a video address, Simonyan expressed her gratitude to all participants and paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“We can see firsthand how journalism is becoming one of the world’s most dangerous professions. We have seen journalists being deliberately targeted in war zones,” Simonyan said.
She noted the ongoing dangers faced by journalists, highlighting that threats persist against those working in Syria. She referenced the near-death of journalist Evgeny Poddubny this year and lamented the countless journalists and their families who have lost their lives in Gaza.
2024 Award Winners:
- Igor Lapik (Zvezda, Russia): Recognized for his frontline report on the Bars-6 UAV unit during Russia’s Special Military Operation. His team was attacked by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone during filming.
- Mohammed Baalousha (Al Mashhad, UAE): Posthumously honored for his report on the destruction of Gaza’s Al-Nasr Hospital by Israeli forces. Baalousha was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s Al-Saftawi neighborhood on December 14.
- Omar Magomedov (NTV, Russia): Awarded for his coverage of Russian flamethrower units operating on the Donetsk axis.
Nakhle Odaime (MTV, Lebanon): Recognized for reporting on the Israel-Lebanon border conflict. He was caught in a rocket attack while filming. Odaime received a special prize for an RT Arabic internship.
In previous years, journalists from Russia, Iraq, Ireland, Singapore, the United States, Italy, Syria, and Yemen were among the winners.
Established in 2018, the Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards honor the legacy of the 25-year-old RT Arabic journalist who died in a rocket attack while covering clashes in Syria’s Homs province. His dedication to revealing the truth about Syria’s war was posthumously recognized with the Medal for Courage, presented to his family by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
RT’s Khaled Memorial Awards aim to embolden journalists to continue reporting the truth from conflict zones around the world. The ceremony is also meant to recognize the efforts and dedication of these reporters, who continue to carry out their journalistic duty despite working in difficult conditions at great personal risk.
