Russian propagandist killed in drone strike in Donetsk region

The incident occurred on the Donetsk - Horlivka highway, in an area temporarily controlled by Russian forces in the Donetsk region.

It was reported that along with Martemyanov, four other employees of propaganda media were in the car when the drone struck.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti stated that two of their correspondents, Maxim Romanenko and Mikhail Kevkhiev, as well as two representatives of a Donetsk edition (employees of Bloknot Donetsk Svetlana Larina and Izabella Liberman), were injured in the incident.

Russian media also reported that Martemyanov was returning from Horlivka at the time.

The Russian edition Izvestia wrote in its Telegram channel on Saturday that Martemyanov allegedly died as a result of a drone strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a civilian vehicle, in which their freelance correspondent was traveling.

Both Russian propaganda resources and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova have placed the responsibility for the drone strike on Ukraine. However, the Russian side has not provided any evidence to support this claim.

Propagandist Martemyanov had previously been injured in the legs in October 2023, in the Donetsk area, as a result of shelling.

Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that in September 2024, Russian propagandist Alexander Korobov, known as Crab, was eliminated in Belgorod. He worked for the Russia 1 television channel and created propaganda materials for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In July 2023, information also emerged about the death of Russian propagandist Rostislav Zhuravlyov from RIA Novosti at the front.

In April 2024, a Russian militant from the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) and war correspondent propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a cafe explosion in St. Petersburg.