Ukrainian and international photo documentarians who tell the world the truth about the events of the war have been under the Russian army's sight from the very beginning. Kremlin propaganda calls documentarians "mercenaries" and "propagandists," attacking them on roads, in dugouts, and in frontline hotels where the press is usually accommodated.
On October 3, 2025, the media community received the tragic news of the death of French photojournalist Antony Lallican and the severe wounding of Ukrainian photojournalist Heorhii Ivanchenko near Druzhkivka in Donetsk region. The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers analyzed how Russian propaganda media and publics covered the attack on the media workers.
Most pro-Russian media published the news without mentioning whose drone attacked the journalists. They used phrases such as “an accident occurred,” and “became a victim of an FPV drone”. At the same time, the news contained manipulations to justify aggression against the media workers.
For example, the propaganda media "Gazeta.ru" in the text of the news about the attack on media workers, omits the drone's origin. Citing the biased expert Rodion Miroshnik, listed in the register of traitors by the CHESNO movement, the media attempts to divert attention from the Russian army's crime by accusing the AFU.
At the end of March, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kyiv regime, Rodion Miroshnik, stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are purposefully striking journalists who cover events in the zone of the special military operation».
Recently, the first details of the Russian drone attack on the media workers became known. They were disclosed by the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as reported by the Human Rights Center “ZMINA”. This information refutes Russian disinformation that discredits the AFU.
According to the released information, it was a deliberate strike by a Russian FPV drone, which occurred near the village of Komyshuvakha, Kramatorsk district. The journalists were covering the construction of fortifications. They were with Ukrainian soldiers from the 4th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade.
According to RSF data, the territory where the journalists were located is not a frontline area, as it is twenty kilometers from the front. They were in special gear, with cameras, and followed the military’s instructions. The area was open, and their car was located a few hundred meters from them. On that tragic morning, they had to take cover several times due to the presence of drones in the area, as reported by RSF. Around 9:30 AM, a Russian drone struck the journalists after first circling them. Antony Lallican died on the spot, and Heorhii sustained serious injuries. This was an FPV (First Person View) drone—a small aircraft equipped with explosives and a camera. It transmits the image to the operator in real-time.
Photo by Heorhii Ivanchenko
Hryhorii Ivanchenko wrote his first post from the hospital after surgery:
«This was a targeted FPV drone strike. I am alive. My leg was amputated. My closest friend, brother, and teacher, Antony Lallican (@antonilallican), is dead. Our assignments with you were unique. You were unique. I am in pain because of what happened, and I deeply sympathize with all family and friends».
Photo by Vladyslav Krasnoshchok
Some Russian media and Telegram channels emphasized that the journalists were accompanying Ukrainian military personnel, blaming the journalists for their own death and injury. Kremlin propaganda is trying to intimidate everyone who is working to establish justice in this war.
«A French journalist went to the frontline with the AFU and died from a drone strike. Photojournalist Antony Lallican decided to accompany AFU personnel in the DPR. Near Druzhkivka, their group came under fire from the Russian Armed Forces. No casualties among the AFU personnel were reported. It is known that the photojournalist who was next to them died, and another of his Kyiv colleagues was wounded».
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in addition to the French journalist who was killed and the Ukrainian photojournalist who was wounded, there were also civilian workers involved in fortification efforts present at the site, three of whom were injured as well.
Here is how The Kyiv Independent described the attack on the photojournalists, recounting the words of Heorhii Ivanchenko as told by his colleague, Olha Kovalova:
“They were filming the construction of fortifications — relatively far from the line of contact. Several drone warnings sounded. The guys went down into a dugout to wait until it was safe again,” Olha Kovalova, a close friend and colleague of Heorhii, told The Kyiv Independent. “When they were already discussing heading back, they saw a drone circling above the position. Suddenly it turned and flew straight at them. George fell to the ground and realized he was wounded. It was a direct hit on Anton — he died instantly.”
Photo by Oleksandr Kachura
Several pro-Russian bloggers and Telegram channels called the journalists "propagandists."
«French propagandist Lallican was killed in an AFU attack in Druzhkivka, a Ukrainian from The Kyiv Independent was wounded».
«French propagandist Antony Lallican was killed and his colleague from The Kyiv Independent was wounded in a strike on the AFU in Druzhkivka. The drone strike was reported by the 4th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade of the AFU, which the propagandists were accompanying».
This is a typical example of Russian disinformation, where lies are mixed with truthful information. These false claims are aimed at discrediting the work of media workers and justifying further aggression against them.
«I knew they were going to Donetsk region and understood that it was very dangerous. We all realize the risks—but we still do this work. Because do we have another choice?»—says Olga Kovalova for The Kyiv Independent.
Photo by Taras Fedorenko
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports, that on October 4, a post appeared on the Telegram channel of the Russian "volunteer" drone operators unit "Sudoplatov," in which Russians call for systematically targeting the windshields of military vehicles passing through this area. This unit is known for distributing videos of drone attacks.
«The post was supplemented with an open threat: “PS: if the French ‘journalist,’ who recruited foreign mercenaries for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is in a military transport, also aim for the windshield!”»,— “ZMINA” relays.
As the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers reported, both photojournalists had been covering events in the regions most affected by the war since the very beginning of the war. Kharkiv photojournalist Heorhii Ivanchenko has worked as a freelance reporter in documentary and reportage photography since February 2022. He collaborated with news agencies such as Associated Press and European Pressphoto Agency. Before the war in Ukraine, Antony Lallican covered social issues in conflict zones around the world, collaborating with well-known international media.
The European and International Federations of Journalists called the death of the French journalist the first case in Ukraine resulting from a drone taking off. According to the Institute of Mass Information's calculations, Lallican is the 112th media worker killed as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian and French specialized agencies have launched an investigation into the journalist's murder. The French National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office is investigating the journalist's death as a war crime.
«Independent journalists risk everything — their lives, their limbs—to document this war, working side-by-side with the military. But they have no protection or support from the state. When I was wounded, it became—and still remains—exclusively my problem, the problem of my family and friends who helped and supported. Now George is going through the same thing,»—Olga Kovalova concluded her conversation for The Kyiv Independent.
Photo by Vladyslav Krasnoshchok
The material was prepared by:
Topic Researcher, Text Author: Yana Yevmenova
Visual Editor: Olga Kovalova
Literary Editor: Yuliia Futei
