Ukraine: drone attack kills two journalists
October deadliest month for media workers in Ukraine this year.
War correspondent Olena Gramova and cameraman Yevgen Karmazin have died in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk following a drone attack whilst they were working for Freedom Media.
Another reporter, Alexander Kolychev, was also injured in the strike and taken to hospital.
According to state-funded Freedom Media, their television crew was at a petrol station on 23 October when it was hit.
The NUJ joins the International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ)and affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), in sending condolences to the families of Gramova and Karmazin, condemning this heinous crime and calling for authorities to launch an independent investigation to identify those responsible.
The proliferation of cheap drones has made reporting from the front line even more dangerous for journalists.
Ivan Zuev, a Russian war correspondent for State-controlled news agency RIA Novosti, was killed by a drone attack in the Zaporizhzhia region, his employer reported on 16 October. Earlier in October, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was also killed by a drone strike in the Donbas region.
October has been the deadliest month for journalists in Ukraine in 2025, with at least four media professionals killed by drone attacks, according to IFJ data.
NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko in a statement:
“The level of danger for journalists has sharply increased due to Russian drones that deliberately hunt down the press. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of Olena Gramova and Yevgen Karmazin, and our words of support to the injured Oleksandr Kolychev."
“We call on our international partners to strengthen safety programmes and to provide journalists working in war zones with protective gear, reliable communications, and evacuation support.”
The IFJ and the EFJ are extremely concerned about the increase in drone strikes against media professionals who are covering the war in Ukraine and said in a statement:
“We mourn the killing of our colleagues Olena Gramova and Yevgen Karmazin and call on the authorities to launch an independent investigation to determine the circumstances of this crime. Only this month, four journalists have been killed by drone attacks in Ukraine while reporting on the war. We remind warring parties to respect their obligation to protect media workers as civilians.”