French photojournalist killed, Ukrainian photographer injured in Russian drone strike

Editor's note: This story was update to include a comment made by French President Emmanuel Macron.

French reporter and photographer Antoni Lallican was killed and Ukrainian photographer Heorhii Ivanchenko was injured in a Russian drone strike, Ukraine's 4th Separate Mechanized Brigade said on Oct. 3.

The brigade said that the journalists had come under a targeted attack with a Russian first-person-view (FPV) drone.

Ivanchenko, a Ukrainian photojournalist and member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, was wounded. His condition is stable, according to the brigade.

Both men were wearing protective gear marked "Press," the brigade said, condemning the strike as a violation of international humanitarian law.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Russian forces have killed at least 13 journalists and injured nearly 50 since the start of the full-scale invasion as of February 2025. RSF, together with the Institute of Mass Information, has documented nearly 150 cases of journalists targeted by Russian abuses while carrying out their work.

The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers said Ivanchenko had underwent surgery after being "seriously wounded."

"We bow our heads in memory of Antoni and hope for the fastest possible recovery of Heorhii," the group said in a statement.

Ivanchenko had previously worked with the Kyiv Independent as a freelance photographer.

Lallican, a Paris-based photojournalist, covered social and humanitarian issues in conflict zones around the world. He first arrived in Ukraine in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and since then had documented the impact of the war, particularly in Donetsk Oblast.

The brigade expressed condolences to Lallican's family and colleagues and said the attack was further proof of the "cynicism and brutality" of Russia's army.

French President Emmanuel Macron also reacted to the death of Lallican, saying he "learned with deep sadness of his death, a victim of a Russian drone attack."

"I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, his loved ones, as well as to all his colleagues who, at the peril of their lives, inform us and bear witness to the reality of the war," Macron wrote on X.

With the accelerated use of drones by Russian forces, short-range drones have become one of the deadliest threats to both civilians in front-line areas and the Ukrainian military on the battlefield.

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The Kyiv IndependentTania Myronyshena