French photojournalist Anthony Lalican was killed in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, in a drone attack, Agence France-Presse reported, citing two journalist organizations – – – The European Federation of Journalists – International Federation of Journalists – and the National Union of Journalists.
The attack in which the journalist died took place today at 7:20 a.m. GMT, the media added. Anthony Lalican was 37 years old. A Ukrainian journalist was also wounded in the same attack – Giorgi Ivanchenko.
For the first time, a journalist has been killed by a drone in Ukraine, the European Federation of Journalists said in a statement, quoted by France 24.
“Today in Ukraine, the main threat to journalists, as well as to all civilians, is Russian drones that attack people“, said Serhiy Tomilenko, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
“These are not collateral victims of war. By targeting journalists, the Russian army is deliberately attacking those who are trying to document war crimes,“, he added.
The circumstances surrounding the attack in which the French photojournalist was killed this morning remain under investigation. Lalicane's photographs and photo reports were published in various French media outlets, including “Le Monde“, “Figaro“ and “Liberation“, as well as in a number of German publications.
He went to Ukraine in March 2022 shortly after the start of the Russian invasion there and documented the consequences of this conflict. Lalikan's work focused on the people of Donbas. In January last year, he won the “Victor Hugo“ award for committed photography for his reportage “Suddenly the sky darkened“, dedicated to the war in Ukraine. Lalikan also had his own blog.