French photojournalist Antoni Lallican killed by drone in Ukraine

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last month |  JP Global Monitoring

French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed in Ukraine while on assignment in the Donbas region on Friday, October 3, the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) announced in a statement. The news was also confirmed by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). According to both organizations, Lallican died after being struck by a drone during reporting operations, www.franceinfo.fr reported.

The EFJ said the incident occurred at 9:20 a.m. local time and remains under investigation. Ukrainian journalist Heorgiy Ivanchenko was also injured in the same attack. Both reporters were wearing protective gear and flak jackets clearly marked “press,” according to the EFJ.

French President Emmanuel Macron reacted on X, stating that Lallican had been accompanying Ukrainian forces “on the front of resistance” when he was targeted in a Russian drone strike.

Based in Paris, Lallican was on assignment in the Donbas for the Hans Lucas photo agency. He had worked with major French outlets, including Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, and Mediapart. In 2024, he was awarded the Victor Hugo Prize for committed photography for his series “Suddenly, the Sky Darkened,” documenting the war in Ukraine.

The EFJ reports that at least 17 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Among them were fellow French journalists Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, Arman Soldin, and Pierre Zakrzewski. “The main threat to journalists, as to all civilians, is Russian drones that hunt people,” said Sergiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, in the statement.