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November 25, 2025 – Russia/Ukraine –
A harrowing escalation in attacks on media workers has unfolded on the Ukrainian front lines. In October 2025, a UNITED24Media news crew came under fire from a Russian First-Person-View (FPV) drone. The assault was described as an “ambush”: the drone struck a car carrying journalists, forcing them to leap from the vehicle seconds before impact. The attack illustrates a disturbing evolution in the threats faced by frontline reporters.
That same month saw tragic consequences: Antoni Lallican, a French photojournalist working with UNITED24Media, was killed by a Russian FPV drone near Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region. A Ukrainian photographer accompanying him, Hryhorii Ivanchenko, was gravely wounded and later lost a leg. Both journalists were reportedly wearing protective gear clearly marked “PRESS”.
On October 23, 2025, a drone strike destroyed the vehicle of a television crew from state broadcaster Freedom Media in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Two journalists — Olena Hramova (also known as Alyona Gramova) and Yevhen Karmazin — were killed. A third team member was seriously injured. The strike came while they were reporting on the aftermath of an earlier Russian drone attack. Both Hramova and Karmazin were part of the frontline war-reporting contingent.
According to UNITED24Media, by November 13, 2025, at least 138 media workers have died since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. That tally includes both combatants and civilians, as well as journalists who perished while carrying out their duties.
Observers and press-freedom organizations warn that these attacks are no longer collateral. The use of drone technology — especially FPV and “Lancet” type drones — capable of targeting marked press vehicles suggests a deliberate strategy aimed at silencing independent reporting on the war. Already common in military operations, these drones have become dangerous tools against journalists themselves.
As the war enters its fourth year, attempts to chronicle its human cost become increasingly perilous. The deaths of experienced correspondents and photojournalists sending stories from the front lines underscore the urgent need for enhanced protection for media workers. Without substantial international pressure and concrete safeguards, the space for truthful, on-the-ground reporting in Ukraine may vanish altogether.
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