Russian troops strike Latvian journalists with FPV drone in Ukraine's Donetsk region
Illustrative photo: Russian FPV drone attacked Latvian journalists in Donetsk region (GettyImages)
Russia struck the Latvian public broadcaster LSM group with an FPV drone in the Donetsk region while traveling to the positions of one of the Ukrainian units to film a report.
Russian drone exploded near the car
Odita Krenberga and cameraman Aigars Kovaļevskis were traveling with Aleksandrs, a Latvian fighting for Ukraine as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' airborne brigade. They planned to film the story of a volunteer from Latvia with the call sign NATO.
Near a section of the road where cars are forced to slow down, a Russian FPV drone exploded next to the car.
The debris damaged the rear of the car and shattered the windows, but no one was injured — the driver noticed the danger in time and accelerated.
Broadcaster's response
LSM notes that journalists are aware of the risks of working on the front lines, but their presence allows them to document the reality of war and counter misinformation.
"We highly appreciate the work and courage of our journalists, because independent journalism in this situation serves as an important counterforce to false and misleading messages, giving the public the opportunity to base their understanding on facts, not manipulation," comments LSM editor-in-chief Anita Brauna.
Journalists on front line
Earlier, the Donetsk Regional Military Administration reported that Freedom TV journalist Olena Hubanova (Hramova) and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin were killed in Kramatorsk as a result of a strike by a Russian Lancet drone, and another journalist was injured.
In addition, Russia killed a French journalist and photographer, Antoni Lallican, near Druzhkivka with an FPV drone, and his colleague Hryhorii Ivanchenko was injured. The French prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into his death.
