A 32-year-old French journalist was slain while reporting from the front lines of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Arman Soldin, an AFP news agency employee, was killed on Tuesday after being hit by rocket fire in Chasiv Yar, just west of Bakhmut.
At around 16:30 (13:30 GMT), a team of journalists was attacked while traveling with a squad of the Ukrainian military.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Soldin’s work on the front lines of the conflict.
The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office in France has launched a war crimes investigation into Soldin’s death.
Fabrice Fries, the chairman of AFP, said the news agency was “devastated” and that the incident was a “terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.”
Christine Buhagiar, the agency’s Europe director, remembers Soldin as “enthusiastic, energetic, and brave,” and said he was “completely devoted to his craft.”
MPs from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Soldin in France’s National Assembly.
He was a member of the first AFP team to arrive in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February of last year, and he had been living there since September.
Ukraine’s defense ministry sent “heartfelt condolences” to Soldin’s family and coworkers, saying, “He dedicated his life to informing the world about the truth.” His legacy and his cause shall go on.”
Moscow expressed sadness at the news of Soldin’s death. The White House paid tribute as well, saying the world was “indebted” to the journalists who died while shining a light on the horrors of Russia’s invasion.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Soldin is the 15th journalist slain while reporting on the conflict in Ukraine since February 2022.
At least two more French journalists, Pierre Zakrzewski, and Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, were slain while covering the fighting.
For several months, Bakhmut has been the epicenter of warfare in eastern Ukraine.
