A Russian drone killed Antoni Lallican, a French photojournalist, near the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region on Friday morning, several sources have confirmed.
Ukrainian journalist Heorhii Ivanchenko was also injured in the attack, which took place at 9.20am
Ukraine’s 4th Separate Mechanized Brigade said in a statement on Facebook that Lallican, 37, had been killed in a targeted strike by a Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone.
The statement noted that the journalists had been targeted despite wearing protective vests clearly marked “PRESS.”
This was the first time a journalist has been killed by a drone in Ukraine, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said in a statement.
“We pay tribute to the courage of Antoni Lallican and all the journalists who continue to cover the war. We demand that the perpetrators of his crime be brought to justice,” the EFJ added.
Serhiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, said: “Today, in Ukraine, the main threat to journalists, as to all civilians, is Russian drones hunting people.”
“By targeting journalists, the Russian Army is deliberately hunting those trying to document war crimes,” he continued.
French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to the journalist on X, writing: “Our compatriot, the photojournalist Antoni Lallican, was accompanying the Ukrainian army on the resistance front.”
“I learned with deep sadness of his death, a victim of a Russian drone attack. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, his loved ones, as well as to all his colleagues who, at the peril of their lives, inform us and bear witness to the reality of the war.”
Also on X, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote: “Our condolences go out to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, who was killed today by a Russian drone near Druzhkivka, despite the clear visual markings “PRESS” on his vest.
“Russia continues to deliberately target journalists, which is a heinous crime and violation of international humanitarian law. We will make every effort to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
“Antoni’s bravery in informing the world about Russian aggression will never be forgotten,” he finished.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Director General Thibaut Bruttin wrote in a tribute: “He died while doing his job, bearing witness to the consequences of war. His commitment, recognized by his peers, was as great as the risks he took to report the news.”
Lallican is the 14th reporter to have been killed while covering Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022, according to RSF, and the fourth French national. He first traveled to Ukraine to report on the war in March 2022.
In January this year, he won the 2024 Victor Hugo Prize for Committed Photography for his reportage, titled “Suddenly the Sky Darkened”, in Ukraine.
His work was published widely, including in French newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro and Libération, and German publications Der Spiegel, Zeit, Stern, Die Welt and Focus Magazin.
In a post to Instagram one week ago, Lallican wrote about the lives of civilians in some of the most intense conflict zones in Donetsk.
“As the front line draws closer and the shelling intensifies, the population steadily declines,” he wrote.
“For those who refuse to flee the contested towns and villages, as well as for the soldiers deployed there, daily life is marked by the thunder of artillery and the power of Russian glide bombs. To the bombardments has been added the massive deployment of kamikaze drones, now omnipresent.”