Ukrainian journalist Bogdan Bitik was shot dead by Russian snipers near a bridge in the Kherson region on 26 April 2023. At the time when he was shot, Bitik was working as a field producer for Italian reporter Corrado Zunino, who was also shot and survived the attack. According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the outlet they were working for, both journalists were wearing bulletproof vests with “Press” written on them. Continue
Ukrainian authorities should thoroughly investigate the deaths of journalists Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky, determine if they were targeted for their work, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
Nezhyborets’ body was recently found buried in the northern Ukrainian village of Yahidne, and Zamoysky’s body was found in Bucha, a city near the capital of Kyiv. Their bodies were found by local Ukrainians after Russian forces withdrew from those areas.
“We are profoundly saddened by the deaths of journalists Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky in Ukraine, and call on Ukrainian authorities to promptly investigate and determine whether they were killed in retaliation for their work,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Russian and Ukrainian authorities have the responsibility to ensure that members of the press can work safely in the context of war.” Continue
In Zamoysky’s case, local residents in Bucha found his body on a street in the city in early April, according to statements by the Ukrainian National Union of Journalists (NUJU) and the Irpin city council. Those sources did not state the exact date his body was found.
Iryna Fedorov, founder of the news website Hromada Priirpinnya, told the NUJU that Zamoysky covered the activities of local authorities in the region around Bucha and the city of Irpin as a freelancer for his outlet and other local media groups. The NUJU statement also said that Zamoysky worked as an activist, but did not describe the nature of his activism.
Zamoysky regularly covered the war on his personal Facebook page, where he had about 1,000 followers. His last post was published on March 4. Continue
Lithuanian documentarian Mantas Kvedaravičius was recently killed while attempting to leave Mariupol, Ukraine.
Berlin, April 4, 2022— In response to reports that Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement, calling for those responsible to face justice:
“We extend our deep condolences to the friends and family of Mantas Kvedaravičius, who was killed while reporting from Mariupol, a city he had documented for years. His killers must be brought to justice,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, in New York. “Kvedaravičius is at least the seventh journalist killed since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian and Ukrainian authorities must bring those responsible to justice, and guarantee the safety of members of the press covering this conflict.” Continue
Oksana Baulina, a journalist for The Insider, died under fire in Kyiv. She was filming the destruction after Russian troops shelled the Podil district of the capital.
Another civilian was also killed, and two more people who accompanied her were wounded and hospitalized.
Before joining our media project, Oksana worked as a producer for the Anti-Corruption Foundation. After the organization was listed as an extremist organization, she had to leave Russia in order to continue reporting on Russian government corruption for The Insider. Continue
A producer for Fox News, 24-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandra Kuvshynova, also known as “Sasha,” was killed March 14 when a vehicle in which she was traveling with colleagues was struck by gunfire. Kuvshynova was serving as a consultant for Fox News, helping teams navigate the area, gather news and speak with sources, the network said. Colleagues remembered her as “beautiful” and “brave.”
Pierre Zakrzewski, a cameraman for Fox News, was killed Monday alongside a Ukrainian colleague, Oleksandra Kuvshynova, while reporting outside Kyiv, according to statements from Fox News and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
Both journalists were traveling in a car Monday with Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall in the town of Horenka when the vehicle was struck by incoming fire. The network said on Monday that Hall, a State Department correspondent, has been hospitalized with his injuries, but no further update has been given on his condition. Continue
The disappearance of a photojournalist who was reporting from a frontline near Kyiv more than a week ago has fuelled growing concerns over the dangers faced by Ukrainian journalists covering Russia’s invasion of their country. Maks Levin has not been heard from since 13 March, when he was reporting in the Vishgorod district, north of Kyiv, where he had been capturing both the fighting and fleeing civilians, according to fellow Ukrainian photographer Markiian Lyseiko. Continue
American journalist Brent Renaud was killed in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 13. Renaud, a photographer and filmmaker, was in the region working on a project for Time magazine focused on the global refugee crisis, according to the outlet.
“We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud. As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud,” Time’s leadership said in a statement. Continue
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) confirmed on 23 March that Ukrainian journalist Viktor Dedov died on 11 March in Mariupol after his flat was bombed. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) sends its condolences to the family and friends of the journalist. The EFJ once again calls on the Russian occupier to stop the bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine. Continue
Journalist Yevhenii Sakun, 49, an EFE correspondent and camera operator for the Ukrainian television channel LIVE, was killed during the shelling of the TV transmission tower in Kyiv by the Russian military on 1 March. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) condemn the killing as a war crime and urges the Russian military to not target media workers and facilities.
