The press officer of Ukraine’s 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade rescued a foreign film crew under attack by a Russian FPV drone in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. The 24th King Danylo Brigade posted a video of the incident on Telegram.
The crew was accompanying a journalist from the Dutch outlet Het Nederlands Dagblad, who was documenting damage to the local Orthodox church caused by Russian attacks.
At that moment, a Russian FPV drone attempted to attack the crew. Oleg Petrasyuk, the brigade’s press officer, spotted the drone and shot it down with his rifle, saving the lives of his comrades and the journalist.
According to his Facebook page, Petrasyuk previously worked as a photographer for Kyiv Post from 2017 to 2021.
Earlier, on Oct. 11, Russian forces attacked Kostiantynivka with a FAB-250 guided aerial bomb on the grounds of St. Job of Pochaiv Church of the Horlivka Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Civilians were present at the time, and the attack killed two people and injured five.
Russian troops regularly target Kostiantynivka with aerial bombs, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and drones, but there is no indication they have entered the city.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported earlier this month that fighting is ongoing around Kostiantynivka, with Ukrainian forces reportedly making advances in the Kostiantynivka-Druzhkivka sector.
Russia is also attempting to advance on the city from multiple axes, particularly from the east and south, but encirclement attempts have stalled.
The city remains a critical defensive stronghold for Ukraine, but it is under heavy Russian bombardment.