Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, called on the ZDF channel (German public broadcaster) to give an official explanation on the fact of journalist Armin Coerper’s report from occupied Mariupol in the spirit of Kremlin propagandists.

“Distorting reality is not journalism. Moreover, 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,” Nikolenko said on X Friday.

ZDF journalist Armin Coerper, who heads Moscow bureau of the TV channel, filmed a report about Mariupol under the occupation of the Russian Federation. In it, the journalist gives the impression that the majority of residents of the city, which has been under Russian occupation for almost two years, are pro-Russian. He also says that the city is being rebuilt, without emphasizing that it was destroyed by the occupiers. According to him, "the city is functioning, shops and restaurants are open."

At the same time, the ZDF TV channel noted in an article about the report that Coerper "chose the ambiguous phrase "the city is functioning," assuring that "highlighting only this quote gives only an abbreviated idea of the impression" of the reporter.