A French photojournalist, Antoni Lallican, 37, was killed in a drone attack while on assignment in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
The incident occurred on Friday near Druzhkivka, around 12 miles from the front line, where Lallican was embedded with the Ukrainian army.
Lallican was traveling in a vehicle with Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ivanchenko when they were hit by a Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone. Ivanchenko was wounded but is in stable condition.
Both journalists were wearing personal protective equipment and bulletproof vests with “PRESS” markings.
Ukraine’s military and French President Emmanuel Macron blamed Russia for the attack.
Macron expressed his “deep sadness” at Lallican’s death, calling it a “heinous crime and violation of international humanitarian law”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga also condemned the attack, saying Russia “continues to deliberately target journalists”.
The European and International Federations of Journalists condemned the attack as a “war crime” and called for an investigation.
Lallican was an award-winning photojournalist who had worked with leading French and international media outlets, including Le Monde and Der Spiegel.
He switched careers from pharmacy to journalism after a trip to Kashmir, where he witnessed independence fighters clashing with Indian army forces.
Lallican won the Victor Hugo prize for “committed photography” last year for his work on the Ukraine war.
