By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – Russian officials and media reacted with caution Thursday to Turkish prosecutors’ latest announcement on the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
No analyses were published concerning the case, and major TV channels did not cover the additional details of the case released by prosecutors.
Major news agencies and newspapers quoted the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Office's announcement without comment or analysis.
This treatment followed the approach laid out by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on Oct. 18 stressed the need “to wait for the results of the investigation ” of the killing.
Commenting on the new details of the case on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova urged journalists “to avoid bogus stories. ”
Warning of “a large number of insinuations” about the case, she added: “Our country immediately, from the first days, said that in this case it is necessary to do only one thing — to conduct an impartial, comprehensive investigation of this tragedy. ”
Russia will weigh in on what happened once the investigation is completed, she said.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. After weeks of denying involvement, the kingdom admitted that he had been killed at the consulate and that the killing was premeditated.
