In a tragic incident that underscores the perils faced by journalists in conflict zones, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed in a Russian drone strike in eastern Ukraine. The attack, which occurred on the outskirts of Komyshuvakha in the Donetsk region, also left Ukrainian photojournalist Grigoriy Ivanchenko severely injured. This marks the first instance of a journalist being killed by a drone in Ukraine, according to the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ).
Mr. Lallican, a Paris-based journalist, had been documenting the war since March 2022, just a month after Russia’s full-scale invasion began. His dedication to capturing the human cost of the conflict earned him the prestigious Victor Hugo Prize for photography in 2024. At the time of the attack, both journalists were embedded with the 4th Mechanised Brigade, approximately 15 kilometers from the frontline.
Despite wearing personal protective equipment, including bulletproof vests marked with ‘PRESS,’ the journalists were unable to hear the drone overhead due to the noise of chainsaws being used to build defensive positions. Anastasia Haletska, the brigade’s press officer who was also wounded, managed to apply tourniquets to Mr. Ivanchenko before both were transported to a hospital in Kramatorsk. Mr. Lallican was killed instantly, while Mr. Ivanchenko is in stable condition but had to undergo a leg amputation.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Mr. Lallican, describing him as a victim of a Russian drone attack. ‘I express my sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, and all his colleagues who, risking their lives, inform us and bear witness to the reality of war,’ Macron wrote on X.
Mr. Lallican’s work, published in outlets such as Le Monde and Le Figaro, documented the war’s impact across Ukraine, from Odesa in the southwest to Kharkiv in the northeast. His photographs captured the plight of families fleeing the invasion, elderly residents refusing to abandon their homes, and soldiers on the frontline.
The EFJ and IFJ reported that 17 journalists have been killed since the invasion began. In a joint statement, they honored Mr. Lallican’s courage and demanded justice for his death. Sergiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), accused Russia of deliberately targeting those documenting war crimes. ‘Antoni Lallican built a visual bridge between the world and Ukrainian reality. Now he himself has become part of this tragic story,’ Tomilenko said.
The Kremlin has yet to comment on the attack.