DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE—Award-winning French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed on Friday in a targeted Russian drone strike in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, marking a chilling escalation in the peril faced by reporters covering the war.
Lallican, 37, a respected Paris-based photographer known for his powerful documentation of conflict zones, died near the city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region. He was on assignment for the photo agency Hans Lucas and was embedded with Ukrainian forces at the time of the attack.
Ukrainian authorities and international press freedom organizations have condemned the strike as a deliberate act, noting it is believed to be the first time a journalist has been killed by a drone in this conflict.
A Targeted Attack on the Truth
The attack occurred Friday morning when an explosive-laden Russian First-Person-View (FPV) drone struck Lallican’s position. The Ukrainian 4th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade confirmed the killing and reported that Lallican’s colleague, Ukrainian photojournalist Heorhii Ivanchenko, was wounded in the same strike. Ivanchenko is reported to be in stable condition.
Crucially, both journalists were wearing protective equipment, including bulletproof vests, that were clearly marked with “PRESS” insignia—a designation that international law is designed to protect.
“By targeting journalists, the Russian army is deliberately hunting those trying to document war crimes,” said Sergiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), emphasizing that the “main threat to journalists, as to all civilians, is Russian drones hunting people.”
A Deep Commitment to the Story
Antoni Lallican had covered the war in Ukraine since March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began. His work was characterized by a deep commitment to shedding light on the human consequences of the war, particularly in the most active frontline zones of the Donbas basin.
His striking visual reportage, “Suddenly the Sky Darkened,” dedicated to the war in Ukraine, earned him the prestigious 2024 Victor Hugo Prize for Committed Photography. His impactful photos have been published across numerous major international outlets, including Le Monde, Le Figaro, Der Spiegel, and Die Welt.
Lallican’s peers remember a professional of rare elegance and profound empathy. A former pharmacist who switched careers to pursue photojournalism after a pivotal trip to Kashmir, his commitment was absolute. He “built a visual bridge between the world and Ukrainian reality,” one colleague noted in tribute.
International Condemnation
The killing has drawn swift and forceful condemnation from international bodies and world leaders, who are demanding an immediate investigation.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “deep sadness” on social media, confirming that Lallican was a “victim of a Russian drone attack” and extending condolences to his family and colleagues “who, risking their lives, inform us and bear witness to the reality of war.”
The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemned the attack as a “war crime” and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Lallican is the fourth French journalist killed while covering the war in Ukraine since 2022, following Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, Armand Soldin, and Pierre Zakrzewski. His death is a grim reminder of the deliberate risks taken by those who strive to deliver the truth from the world’s most dangerous front lines.