ISTANBUL
Journalists from all corners of the globe have put themselves in the line of fire to provide first-hand accounts of the Russia-Ukraine war, which entered its 14th month in May.
Clashes at various hot spots of the war have intensified, notably in the Donbas, a largely Russian-speaking industrialized region in eastern Ukraine.
The region is also home to a major part of the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces. This includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Russia partially controls but were annexed by Moscow back in September 2022 in a move rejected by Türkiye, the US, the EU, and others.
Russia also annexed Ukraine’s southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which have been the scene of intense shelling, as well as missile and drone attacks.
However, the front line cities of Bakhmut, Marinka, Vuhledar and Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region have been the site of the most fierce clashes in the past few months.
Russia’s lightning advances in the early stages of the war, which were primarily focused on the direction of the capital Kyiv, later gave way to a slow-burning conflict, which has been characterized by minor military advances claimed by both sides.
Currently, in its fight against Russian forces, which stepped up their offensive notably in the Donetsk region during the winter, the Ukrainian army is trying to hold the defensive line before launching a long-anticipated counteroffensive.
Now in its 14th month, the war has so far killed 8,791 civilians and wounded 14,815, according to the UN.
Journalists have also been killed during this period while risking their lives, especially in areas where intense clashes continue between Russia and Ukraine, to inform the public about the latest news and stories surrounding the conflict.
At least 15 journalists killed
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent non-governmental organization promoting press freedom and defending the rights of journalists, at least 15 journalists have died on duty since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The CPJ also reported that two other journalists have died in circumstances that remain unclear while carrying out their professional duties.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reports that 14 journalists have been killed on duty since the start of the conflict.
Of late, Arman Soldin, a video journalist from the French news agency, AFP, was killed in the city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Monday.
Maja Sever, the head of the European Federation of Journalists, the European branch of the IFJ, said that Soldin’s work has been “essential in bringing images from Ukraine and informing citizens around the world about the realities of the war.”
“Today our thoughts are with Arman’s family and friends. No journalist should ever be targeted for doing their job and covering a war is no excuse for that. Today is another sad day for the journalism community. We demand justice for the killing of Arman,” IFJ President Dominique Pradalie also said.
Soldin’s death came 12 days after the death of Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Bitik, who worked for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and was shot in the Kherson region. Bitik was the first reported killing of a journalist while on duty in 2023.
Other journalists killed in action are Frederic Leclerc-Imhof, Vira Hyrych, Mantas Kvedaravicius, Oksana Baulina, Oleksandra Kuvshynova, Pierre Zakrzewski, Brent Renaud, Maks Levin, Viktor Dedov, Oksana Haidar, Zoreslav Zamoysky, Yevhenii Sakun, and Ihor Hudenko.
Protection for journalists
As the Russia-Ukraine war closes in on its 15th month, the conditions in which journalists are working become more and more dangerous and unpredictable.
In the early stages of the conflict, media crews have come under fire, notably due to shelling and missile strikes that have also killed civilians.
In a report published in February 2023, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said a total of 12,000 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been accredited to cover the war in the past year.
“RSF has filed seven war crimes complaints with the International Criminal Court and Ukraine’s prosecutor-general for a total of 44 acts of violence and abuses involving more than 100 journalists and 11 radio and TV towers in Ukraine,” the report further said.
The situation in Ukraine has gotten more tense with each passing day, leading to the emergence of constant threats on the lives and well-being of journalists, among which include missile strikes.
Air raid alerts sound in Ukraine almost on a daily basis due to missile and drone strikes that have targeted the country’s civilian and energy infrastructure. Such strikes rose dramatically after an October explosion damaged Russia's key Kerch Bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.
More recently, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told local media in April that there will be a counteroffensive conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against Russia, but that there is no exact date for the offensive due to factors such as weather and soil conditions.
"That is why the General Staff will choose the best timing, as it happened at one time, for example, in the Kharkiv direction," Reznikov said.
Ukraine’s preparation for a major counteroffensive gives signals that fierce clashes will grow further, increasing risks for journalists working in the war-torn country.
