if it’s true that he was embedded in a unit, and wearing a military uniform and no press insignia, then I also agree that he was a valid target. But even state propagandists are and should be protected when they’re at the front in the role of journalist, however dubious their nature might be. The political spin of their reporting doesn’t matter, the only thing that lets them lose that status is direct participation in hostilities, i.e. either picking up a weapon and fighting themselves, or abusing their position to spy on enemy positions

Eroding these protections just makes the work of every other war correspondent more dangerous