Roman Nezhyborets
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

, at least 15 civilian journalists and media workers have been killed in the line of duty since the Russo-Ukrainian War began in 2014. Six have been Russian, four Ukrainian, one Italian, one American, one Lithuanian, one Irish and one French. An initial wave of journalist fatalities occurred in the early stages of the War in Donbas in 2014, starting with Italian journalist Andrea Rocchelli and his interpreter, Russian activist Andrei Mironov. In the following four months, four Russian journalists in the company of Russian separatist forces were killed by Ukrainian fire, as was one Ukrainian journalist in an incident that both sides in the conflict blamed on each other. Two pairs of killings led to legal proceedings: In Rocchelli and Mironov's deaths, Ukrainian National Guard member
Vitalii Markiv Vitalii Mykhailovych Markiv ( uk, Віталій Михайлович Марків; born 16 August 1989) is a Ukrainian former military commander of the General Serhiy Kulchytsky Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine. He was prosecuted and ...
was tried in Italy for allegedly ordering the strike. He was convicted but later
exonerated Exoneration occurs when the conviction for a crime is reversed, either through demonstration of innocence, a flaw in the conviction, or otherwise. Attempts to exonerate convicts are particularly controversial in death penalty cases, especially w ...
. In the deaths of Russian journalists
Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin On 17 June 2014, Russian state television correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were victims of a mortar strike launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Metalist, Slovianoserbsk Raion, Ukraine, while travelling with ...
by mortar strike, captured Ukrainian Army pilot
Nadiya Savchenko Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko ( uk, Надія Вікторівна Савченко; born 11 May 1981) is a Ukrainian politician, former Army aviation pilot in the Ukrainian Ground Forces and former People's Deputy of Ukraine. During the 2014 ...
was tried in Russia for allegedly ordering the strike. She was convicted and subsequently freed in a prisoner exchange with Ukraine. The relationship between Russian journalists and separatist forces became a subject of controversy. A second wave of deaths began with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Yevhenii Sakun, a Ukrainian, was the first journalist killed in that phase of the war, a victim of a Russian airstrike on the Kyiv TV Tower on 1 March 2022. Six more journalists have been killed by Russian soldiers, including four shot and one killed by shelling. The dead include American documentarian Brent Renaud, Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin, and most recently Lithuanian documentarian
Mantas Kvedaravičius Mantas Kvedaravičius (23 June 1976 – 30 March 2022) was a Lithuanian filmmaker, anthropologist, and archaeologist known for war reporting in hostile areas. Life and career Kvedaravičius held a PhD in social anthropology from the Univer ...
. In addition, at least six Ukrainian journalists have been killed outside the line of duty or under ambiguous circumstances and at least seven journalists have been killed while serving in the
Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
or the
Russian separatist forces in Donbas The Donetsk People's Militia and Luhansk People's Militia (formerly also called Russian separatist forces in Donbas) are pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which have been fighting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ...
.


Civilian journalists killed in the line of duty

Fifteen journalists and media workers are listed by the Committee to Protect Journalists's database as having been killed in the Russo-Ukrainian War—seven in the war in Donbas in 2014–2015, ''Note'': List includes one journalist killed outside the context of the war. eight in the full-scale
Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.


Andrea Rocchelli and Andrei Mironov

Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and Russian journalist and activist Andrei Mironov, who was serving as Rocchelli's fixer and interpreter, were killed on 24 May 2014 near the city of
Slovyansk Sloviansk ( uk, Слов'янськ, Sloviansk ; russian: Славянск, Slavyansk or ; prior to 1784 – Tor) is a city in the Kramatorsk district of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Slovyansk urban commun ...
. The two men, plus French reporter William Roguelon, and a local driver were fired at on the way to their car. Roguelon stated that they were then targeted with 40 to 60 mortars.


Legal proceedings against Vitalii Markiv

In July 2019, an Italian court convicted
Vitalii Markiv Vitalii Mykhailovych Markiv ( uk, Віталій Михайлович Марків; born 16 August 1989) is a Ukrainian former military commander of the General Serhiy Kulchytsky Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine. He was prosecuted and ...
, an Italian-Ukrainian dual citizen and an officer in the National Guard of Ukraine, of directing the strike that killed Rocchelli and Mironov. Markiv's conviction was overturned in November 2020, a decision made final by the
Supreme Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...
in December 2021.


Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin

Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin, correspondent and sound engineer respectively for Russian state-owned broadcasting company VGTRK, were struck by Ukrainian
mortar shells A mortar is usually a simple, lightweight, man-portable, muzzle-loaded weapon, consisting of a smooth-bore (although some models use a rifled barrel) metal tube fixed to a base plate (to spread out the recoil) with a lightweight bipod mount and a ...
on 17 June 2014 while filming a separatist roadblock in
Metalist Metalist or Metallist may refer to: * Metalist, Slovianoserbsk Raion, a village in Ukraine * Metallist, Vladimir Oblast, a rural locality in Russia * FC Metalist Kharkiv, Ukrainian football club * FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, Ukrainian football club * ...
,
Slovianoserbsk Raion Slovianoserbsk Raion () was a raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. It was named after Slavo-Serbia, an imperial Russian province that existed between 1753–64. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrativ ...
. Voloshin died instantly, while Kornelyuk died later that day. Both men were posthumously awarded the Russian
Order of Courage The Order of Courage may refer to: * , a state decoration of the partially recognized republic of Abkhazia * Order of Courage (Iran), a state decoration of Iran * Order of Courage (Russia) The Order of Courage (russian: Орден Мужес ...
by Vladimir Putin.


Legal proceedings against Nadiya Savchenko

Nadiya Savchenko Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko ( uk, Надія Вікторівна Савченко; born 11 May 1981) is a Ukrainian politician, former Army aviation pilot in the Ukrainian Ground Forces and former People's Deputy of Ukraine. During the 2014 ...
, a Ukrainian army helicopter pilot, was captured by separatists the same day and was accused of directing the mortar strike. She claimed that she had rather been captured an hour before the attack. Savchenko was convicted by a Russian court on 21 March 2016, in what
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
characterized as a "flawed, deeply politicized trial". She was
pardoned A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
by Vladimir Putin as a result of a prisoner swap for two Russian soldiers two months later.


Anatoly Klyan

Anatoly Klyan, a
camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmaking ...
for Russian Channel One, was killed by Ukrainian soldiers while traveling with a group of protesting soldiers' mothers on 30 June 2014 in
Donetsk region The Donetsk Oblast ( ukr, Донецька область, Donetska oblast, ), also referred to as Donechchyna ( ukr, Донеччина, links=no), is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 mill ...
. The trip had been organized by separatists and the driver was wearing camouflage. Klyan continued to film the attack until he grew too weak.


Andrey Stenin

Andrey Stenin, a Russian
photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
and correspondent for several Russian and international news agencies, disappeared on 5 August 2014 while embedded with Russian-backed forces in Donetsk. He was confirmed dead on 3 September 2014. Stenin's body was found in a burnt-out car alongside
Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...
militia Information Corps members Sergei Korenchenkov and Andrei Vyachalo (''see'' ). Their deaths were not announced until ten days after his. ''The Interpreter'' magazine, a publication of the
Institute of Modern Russia The Institute of Modern Russia (IMR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization—a think tank—headquartered in New York City. It was founded in February 2010, by leading experts in Russia-US relations and human rights. According t ...
, suggested that Russia was trying to obscure the connection between Stenin and militia members. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov insulted Stenin as a '' zampolit'' (military political indoctrinator) rather than a journalist. Stenin was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage by Vladimir Putin.


Serhiy Nikolayev

Serhiy Nikolayev, a photojournalist with the Ukrainian newspaper '' Segodnya'', died along with soldier Mykola "Tank" Flerko during the shelling of the village of Pisky on 28 February 2015. Nikolayev was wearing a
bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...
marked "PRESS". Both sides in the war blamed each other. Nikolayev had previously been attacked by the Berkut special police while reporting on the
Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...
demonstrations in 2013. After his death he was awarded the title '' Hero of Ukraine'' by Petro Poroshenko.


Yevhenii Sakun

Yevhenii Sakun,, also transliterated a photojournalist for Ukrainian TV channel and correspondent with EFE, was killed by an attack on the
Kyiv TV Tower The Kyiv TV Tower ( uk, Телевізійна вежа, translit=Televiziyna vezha) is a lattice metal tower on Oranzhereina Street, Kyiv, Ukraine, and is the tallest structure in the country. The tower was built in 1973 while Kyiv was the cap ...
on 1 March 2022, in what
Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
described as a "precision strike" on the facility.


Brent Renaud

Brent Renaud, a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist who previously worked for '' The New York Times'', was shot dead by Russian soldiers while at a
checkpoint Checkpoint may refer to: Places * Border checkpoint, a place on the land border between two states where travellers and/or goods are inspected * Security checkpoint, erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary co ...
in Irpin on 13 March 2022. Renaud, who was known for his work depicting refugees and deportees, had been filming evacuating refugees, according to his colleague .


Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Kuvshynova

Pierre "Zak" Zakrzewski, an Irish photojournalist working for Fox News, and Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova,, also transliterated ) was 24 at the time of her death. a Ukrainian
freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
working with Fox, were killed on 14 March 2022 when their vehicle came under fire in Horenka, Kyiv Oblast. British journalist Benjamin Hall, also of Fox, was wounded in the same attack. Zakrzewski had worked as a freelancer for some years, but had "with mixed feelings" moved to Fox partly because it was too dangerous to work in conflict areas without the support of a media organization. He had worked for Fox in the Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, and Syrian civil war, and had received Fox's "Unsung Hero" employee award for his role in evacuating Afghan freelancers and their families after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Shortly before his death, he had found an abandoned infant on the streets of Kyiv and brought it to a hospital. Kuvshynova had been guiding Fox crews and assisting with newsgathering.


Oksana Baulina

Oksana Baulina,) was born 1 November 1979 in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. a Russian journalist for the independent investigative website '' The Insider'', was killed in the
Podilskyi District The Podilskyi District ( uk, Подільський район) is an urban district of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Its population was 177,563 at the 2001 census. The district takes its name from the historic Podil neighborhood which it includ ...
of Kyiv on 23 March by Russian shelling. She had been filming the site of a Russian rocket strike on a shopping center. Another civilian was killed in the same attack. Baulina, once a
fashion editor A fashion editor is a person that supervises the process of creating, developing and presenting content for the fashion department of a magazine, Web site, newspaper or television program. The work of a fashion editor can be quite varied and may h ...
at ''
Time Out Moscow ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'', became an activist with
Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolievich Navalny ( rus, links=no, Алексей Анатольевич Навальный, , ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ nɐˈvalʲnɨj; born 4 June 1976) is a Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Russian opposition ...
's
Anti-Corruption Foundation The Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF or FBK; russian: Фонд борьбы с коррупцией (ФБК), Fond borby s korruptsiyey (FBK), Foundation for combating corruption) is a non-profit organization established in 2011 by Russian opposit ...
in 2016. She
emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to Poland shortly before the organization was branded extremist by the Russian government. Before the invasion, she was based in Warsaw, and during the invasion had reported from Kyiv and Lviv. Her final work included interviews with Russian
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...
, whom she let call home using her cell phone.


Maks Levin

Maks Levin, a Ukrainian photojournalist working for the media outlet , went missing on 13 March 2022 and was found dead near the village of
Huta-Mezhyhirska Huta-Mezhyhirska ( uk, Гута-Межигірська) is a village in Vyshhorod Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. It belongs to Petrivtsi rural hromada, Kyiv Oblast, Petrivtsi rural hromada, one of the hromadas of U ...
in the Kyiv region on 1 April 2022. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, he was fatally shot twice by Russian soldiers while wearing a press jacket. Levin had worked with Reuters, the BBC, and the Associated Press, among other news organizations. Most of his documentary projects were related to the war in Ukraine. Levin disappeared along with Oleksiy Chernyshov, another Ukrainian journalist, who was found dead on 1 April 2022. A report from ''
Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
'' concluded that the evidence they were murdered by Russian forces was overwhelming.


Mantas Kvedaravičius

Mantas Kvedaravičius Mantas Kvedaravičius (23 June 1976 – 30 March 2022) was a Lithuanian filmmaker, anthropologist, and archaeologist known for war reporting in hostile areas. Life and career Kvedaravičius held a PhD in social anthropology from the Univer ...
, a Lithuanian documentary film director, was killed on 2 April 2022 while trying to leave the besieged city of Mariupol, the life of which he had documented for many years. According to the Russian film director
Vitaly Mansky Vitaly Vsevolodovich Mansky (russian: Виталий Всеволодович Манский, uk, Віталій Всеволодович Манський; born 2 December 1963 in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian documentary f ...
, Kvedaravičius "died with a camera in his hand". Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's
ombudsperson An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
for human rights, alleged that Kvedaravičius "was taken prisoner by ' rashists', who later shot him. The occupiers threw the director's body out into the street". Kvedaravičius's widow reported that two days after his death a Russian soldier had led her to his body. She said that he had been shot in the stomach, but there was "no blood on the ground" and no bullet hole in the clothes he was wearing. Kvedaravičius had earlier worked to document torture and forced disappearances in Russia's North Caucasus region. His 2011 documentary about war-ravaged
Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
was awarded an
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
prize.


Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff

On 30 May 2022, French President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...
announced the death of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, working for the media BFM TV. He was the victim of a shrapnel wound while following a humanitarian operation in the Luhansk Oblast. The French Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Catherine Colonna Catherine Colonna ( (born 16 April 1956) is a French diplomat and politician who serves as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since 20 May 2022. Colonna previously served as Ambassador ...
, stated that he had died as the result of a Russian action.


Civilian journalists killed outside the line of duty or under ambiguous circumstances

At least six Ukrainian journalists or media workers have been killed during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
while not engaged in news-gathering or under ambiguous circumstances. , Shakirov, Dedov, and Girich are not included in the committee to Protect Journalists's list, while Nezhyborets, Zamoysky, and Bal are listed as "motive unconfirmed".


Dilerbek Shakirov

Iryna Venediktova,
Prosecutor General of Ukraine The prosecutor general of Ukraine (also procurator general of Ukraine, uk, Генеральний прокурор України) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General ( uk, Офіс ...
, said in a Facebook post that Dilerbek Shukurovich Shakirov, a freelance journalist for weekly newspaper ''Navkolo tebe'' (''Around You'') was shot dead on 26 February 2022, in Zelenivka,
Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast ( uk, Херсо́нська о́бласть, translit=Khersónsʹka óblastʹ, ), also known as Khersonshchyna ( uk, Херсо́нщина, ), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine, currently claimed and partly occupied ...
. A representative of the Institute of Mass Information confirmed his death; the IMI listed him separate from journalists killed in the line of duty. The BBC reported Venediktova's statement but did not independently confirm it. Venediktova said that Shakirov was a member of the "House of Hope" charitable organization; the IMI said that he had been a part of Kherson's self-defense forces from 2014 to 2015. Venediktova said that Shakirov had been killed by Russian soldiers firing an
automatic weapon An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharge ...
from a car.


Roman Nezhyborets

The committee to Protect Journalists reported on 13 April 2022 that Roman Nezhyborets, a video technician at , had been found dead in
Yahidne Yahidne may refer to several populated places in Ukraine. * Yahidne, Chernihiv Oblast * Yahidne, Donetsk Oblast {{Short pages monitor