In Moscow, Journalists Become Victims, Go-Betweens, Scapegoats

Russian and foreign journalists became victims, scapegoats and even intermediaries during the bloody battle for power in Moscow, showing both how powerful and resented reporters have become in recent years.

A British cameraman and a Russian cameraman were shot dead and at least 11 other journalists wounded during fighting Sunday night between government troops and hard-line protesters at the national broadcasting center.

It was not clear how each journalist was hurt. But during the street fighting, many foreign journalists were beaten by hard-line protesters.

Foreign reporters long have been targets during rallies by hard-liners, who accuse the West of controlling Yeltsin and his policies.

One Russian reporter took a role in the crisis. During the siege of Parliament, a senior reporter for the respected Interfax news agency, Vyacheslav Terekhov, was drafted into service as an intermediary by Vice President Alexander V. Rutskoi, a resistance leader.

Terekhov said soldiers storming the building did not believe he was a journalist and held him captive until the siege was over.

Media facilities that were targets during the disorder included an area around several newspaper offices in Moscow, which militants briefly besieged, apparently in anger over their criticism of hard-liners in the past year.

Opposition newspapers also suffered Monday when Yeltsin banned several publications for allegedly supporting the protesters.