A story by the Kyiv Independent's reporter Francis Farrell, "One Night in Bakhmut: Civilians Wait for the End as Russia Draws Closer," has been shortlisted for the European Press Prize 2024 in the Distinguished Reporting category.
This piece tells the story of civilians and first responders in Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast indirectly through the personal experience of Farrell, who stayed overnight in the embattled city in January 2023, traveling together with a colleague from Moldova.
The story was published mere months before Russian forces took Bakhmut after a long and gruesome siege.
The European Press Prize, which "celebrates the highest achievements in European journalism," was founded in 2012 and is awarded on a yearly basis. The 2024 edition of the Prize selected four other nominees for the Distinguished Reporting category.
The Kyiv Independent's story "Suicide missions, abuse, physical threats: International Legion fighters speak out against leadership’s misconduct," written by Anna Myroniuk and Alexander Khrebet, won the European Press Prize 2023 in the Special Award category.
Farrell also won the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents in the Young Reporter (print) category in October 2023.