A French photojournalist, Antoni Lallican, was killed in a drone strike while on assignment in eastern Ukraine on Friday, Ukrainian officials and international media groups confirmed.
The 37-year-old journalist, known for his striking frontline images and global reporting, was embedded with Ukraine’s Fourth Armored Brigade near Druzhkivka, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line in the Donetsk region, when the attack occurred.
A Ukrainian reporter, Georgiy Ivanchenko, was injured in the same strike. Ukrainian authorities and French President Emmanuel Macron blamed Russia for the attack, which reportedly targeted Ukrainian positions in the Donbas.
“Both journalists were wearing protective gear clearly marked with the word ‘PRESS,’” the Ukrainian brigade said in a statement on Facebook, adding that Ivanchenko’s condition was stable.
Lallican is believed to be the first journalist killed by a drone in the ongoing war, according to the European and International Federations of Journalists.
The groups said at least 17 journalists have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, while UNESCO places the toll at 22.
Among them was AFP video journalist Arman Soldin, killed by rocket fire in 2023.
Global Outcry and Tributes
President Macron expressed his “deep sadness” over Lallican’s death, calling him “a courageous journalist who died documenting the truth.”
Press freedom groups condemned the attack as a war crime, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urging an immediate investigation.
“Antoni Lallican died doing his job — bearing witness to the consequences of war,” said Thibaut Bruttin, RSF’s director general.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga accused Moscow of “deliberately targeting journalists,” describing the act as “a heinous crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.”
A Passionate Eye Behind the Lens
Based in Paris, Lallican had built a reputation for his powerful visual storytelling. His photography appeared in Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and other major European outlets.
The Mediapart news site described him as “a formidable photographer and excellent colleague,” while his agency, Hans Lucas, praised his dedication and deep understanding of Ukraine’s battlefields.
“He documented the siege of Kyiv and never stopped showing the human cost of war,” the agency said.
Lallican’s journey into photojournalism began unusually. Trained as a pharmacist, he changed careers at age 30 after a trip to Kashmir, where witnessing clashes between independence fighters and Indian troops “awakened a passion for news photography,” he told L’Est Républicain in 2023.
Since then, his lens had captured conflict and resilience from Syria and Sudan to Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.
At home in France, he documented urban poverty and social inequality, winning the Victor Hugo Prize for Committed Photography in 2024.
“War photography is a risky profession,” he once said, “but it’s about being present — alert to truth, no matter the danger.”
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