You're reading: Channel One cameraman dies from injuries in Donetsk

Moscow -- Russia's Channel One cameraman sustained a lethal abdominal wound in a trip to a military unit camp in Donetsk, the administration of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DPR) said.

“He was riding a bus to the Donetsk Spartak area together with conscripts’ mothers. The mothers were due to take their sons home. Yet gunfire was opened on the bus near the military unit camp. The Channel One cameraman sustained an abdominal wound and died at the hospital,” DPR First Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Purhin told Interfax.

The bus driver was injured in his neck and taken to a hospital, Purhin said. In his words, none of the conscripts’ mothers was hurt.

A LifeNews television crew also came under gunfire. The journalists were not hurt as they hid in a tree belt, he continued. “However, they had to leave their vehicle and equipment on the gunfire site,” Purhin said.

There were no militants on the attacked bus, he emphasized. “It was a bus carrying civilians, women and journalists. There was not a single militant on that bus,” the DPR first vice-premier indicated.

Channel One confirmed the death of its cameraman Anatoly Klyan in Donetsk.

“Our colleague, Channel One cameraman Anatoly Klyan, died in Donetsk overnight. The tragedy happened near a military unit camp where his crew went to film,” said the anchor of a Channel One news program aired at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 30.

“The servicemen suddenly opened gunfire. A. Klyan was lethally injured in his stomach. He was 68 years old,” she said.

“A journalist saw a signal flare in the air and said “Film”. Anatoly did not think twice about pushing the record button. It was when the bullet hit him,” the news anchor said.