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November 09, 2025 – France/Russia –
The death of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, killed on October 3 2025 by a Russian FPV drone in Ukraine’s Donbas region, has prompted serious questions about the response from the French government. Lallican, aged 37, was embedded near the front line with Ukraine’s 4th Armoured Brigade and wearing press identification when the strike occurred alongside his Ukrainian colleague, Georgiy Ivanchenko, who was seriously injured.
France’s National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor opened a “war crimes” investigation into the killing on October 5 via the Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes (OCLCH). President Emmanuel Macron publicly cited Russia’s responsibility for the attack. Despite the gravity of these steps, the French foreign ministry waited nearly a month—and only issued a formal statement of condemnation on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The article argues that the government’s silence and the absence of direct diplomatic engagement with Russia fall short of expectations when one of its own citizens has been deliberately targeted.
Lallican had worked since 2022 to document the human toll of the war in Ukraine and became the first journalist killed by a drone in that conflict. His death thus represents not only a personal tragedy but a wider symbol of the escalating risk faced by the press in active war zones and the need for stronger state mechanisms to protect journalists and hold perpetrators accountable.
Media advocates and rights organisations are now calling on France to move beyond symbolic gestures. They urge the government to insist on transparent investigation processes, demand cooperation from Russian authorities, and fortify legal and diplomatic measures that safeguard reporters in conflict settings. Without such action, the case risks becoming another example of impunity in attacks against journalists—despite the formal beginnings of a war-crime probe.
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