Ukraine mourns two journalists after a deadly Russian drone strike claimed their lives

In a solemn gathering at a Kyiv church on Monday, approximately 100 mourners paid tribute to two Ukrainian journalists who lost their lives in a Russian drone attack in the Donetsk region. Olena Hubanova, a 43-year-old war correspondent known by her pseudonym Alyona Gramova, and Yevhen Karmazin, a 33-year-old cameraman, were killed on October 23 when a Russian Lancet drone struck their vehicle near Kramatorsk, just 20 kilometers from the front lines. This incident marks the latest in a series of deadly assaults on journalists covering the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Earlier this month, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican and Ukrainian reporter Grigoriy Ivanchenko were injured in a similar attack, with Ivanchenko later undergoing a leg amputation. The increasing range of drone strikes, now extending over 20 kilometers from the front, has significantly heightened the risks for journalists and civilians alike. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, at least 135 media workers have been killed, according to Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists. Gramova and Karmazin, both employed by the state-run FreeDom TV channel, were known for their courageous reporting from the most perilous areas of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Vadym Filashkin, the regional governor, praised their dedication to uncovering the truth about Russian atrocities and the plight of Ukrainian defenders. Gramova, originally from Yenakiieve, a city under Russian occupation since 2014, and Karmazin, a native of Kramatorsk, leave behind a legacy of fearless journalism in the face of grave danger.