Front-line photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk killed in action
Soldier and photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk, call sign "John," was killed on the front lines near Kurdiumivka in Donetsk Oblast, journalist Yurii Butusov reported via Facebook on Sept. 29.
Myroniuk, aged 59, was an independent photographer who documented Ukrainian soldiers at the front.
Butusov, who is the editor-in-chief of Censor.net, described Myroniuk as a "hero photographer" who "thanked every soldier he met with photographs."
According to Butusov, Myroniuk was Ukrainian but worked for many years as a long-haul truck driver in the United States and had U.S. citizenship. He came to Ukraine to photograph protestors during the EuroMaidan Revolution.
"He loved brave people who risked themselves for high goals, and he was glad to be able to capture the real faces of real heroes in moments of great challenge," Butusov said.
Myroniuk filed his last report a few days ago from an infantry position that was heavily shelled by Russian forces. Butusov said Myroniuk died with "camera in hand," and that his body could not be retrieved for three days due to the intensity of the shelling.
Friends of Myroniuk are hoping to organize an exhibition of his war photography, Butusov said.
"Volodymyr Myroniuk's archive contains unique footage of many Ukrainian heroes, wonderful portraits with many stories behind them," he said.
