HIMARS strike claims lives of Russian reporters on Ukrainian frontlines
Three reporters, working for Russian outlets Izvestia and Zvezda have died. Izvestia confirmed the death of reporter Alexander Fedorchak. "Zvezda" lost both a cameraman and a driver.
Izvestia reported at 6:46 PM Moscow time that Fedorchak, aged 28 and a native of Crimea, died in the attack. The media outlet shared his photo posing with a cat in military attire but lacking a vest marked "Press."
Additional messages from Russian media reveal more about Fedorchak's background but do not disclose the precise location and circumstances of his death. His latest reports were reportedly filmed near Kupyansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
At 9:10 PM Moscow time, Zvezda issued a statement on its Telegram channel, reporting the deaths of cameraman Andrey Panov and crew driver Alexander Sirkel alongside Fedorchak. "Zvezda" noted that these journalists were fulfilling their "professional duty" when reportedly targeted by HIMARS missiles.
The head of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) Leonid Pasechnik confirmed the death of three Russian propagandists along with another three individuals.
TASS news agency reported the incident, stating it occurred near the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region, and highlighted that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's urged OSCE and UNESCO to respond to the fate of Russian media.
TASS also reported that journalist Mikhail Skuratov was receiving treatment for a leg injury sustained in the Kursk region, assuring he's not in life-threatening danger.
Notably, on January 4, Russian media reported the death of propagandist Alexander Mratemianov, also working for Izvestia.
This incident occurred on the Horlivka-Donetsk highway when an FPV drone struck his vehicle, according to colleague Maksim Romanenko, who survived.
A similar incident occurred near Horlivka in the summer of 2024. The so-called "mayor" of the occupied city, Ivan Prikhodko, reported that NTV reporter Alexey Ivliev died from injuries.