French Journalist Dies During Rocket Attack in Ukraine

(Photo : BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, an AFP news agency Ukraine video coordinator was slain in a rocket attack near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

According to AFP journalists who witnessed the incident, Arman Soldin, the Ukraine video coordinator for AFP, was slain by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.

The incident occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. on the outskirts of the town near Bakhmut, which has been the epicenter of conflict in eastern Ukraine for several months.

AFP Journalist Killed in Ukraine

The AFP team came under assault from Grad missiles while accompanying Ukrainian soldiers. Soldin was slain when a rocket exploded near where he was lying. The remainder of the crew was unharmed. Soldin, who was born in Sarajevo, was a French national.

In 2015, he began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome bureau before being recruited in London. He was a member of the first AFP team sent to Ukraine after Russia's invasion began on February 24, 2022, arriving the next day.

Since September, Soldin had lived in Ukraine, overseeing the team's coverage and frequent trips to the east and south front lines. According to the media advocacy organizations Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, at least eleven journalists, fixers, and transporters for media teams have been murdered while covering the conflict in Ukraine (CPJ).

Director of AFP Europe Christine Buhagiar recalled Soldin as "enthusiastic, vivacious, and courageous." A day before his death, Soldin documented the horrors of war by publishing a video of physicians operating on a wounded soldier's heart on social media, as per CBS News.

Soldin, whose Twitter profile image depicts a cat perched on his back, also had a soft spot for animals, as evidenced by his profile photograph. The previous week, an animal rescue organization tweeted a video of Soldin and his team rescuing an injured hedgehog from a Ukrainian trench.

AFP stated that it was "devastated" by Soldin's passing and that its "thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, a French journalist operating in Ukraine for BFM-TV, was murdered near Severodonetsk in the east in May 2022. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least ten journalists have been killed in Ukraine while documenting the conflict.

Director of RSF Christophe Deloire lauded the daily bravery of war correspondents. He referred to Soldin's demise as "a tragedy for all those who defend the independence and veracity of information."

In a Tuesday evening speech in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his condolences to Soldin's family and loved ones, NBC News reported.

Leaders Pay Tribute to Arman Soldin

Per BBC, French President Emmanuel Macron praised Soldin's efforts on the front lines of the conflict. Fabrice Fries, the chairman of AFP, stated that the news agency was "devastated" by Soldin's death, which he described as a "terrible reminder of the risks and perils journalists confront every day while covering the conflict in Ukraine."

Director of Europe for the agency, Christine Buhagiar, recalled Soldin as "enthusiastic, energetic, and courageous" and "completely devoted to his craft."

In France's National Assembly, lawmakers from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Soldin. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense offered "Soldin's family and colleagues "heartfelt condolences" with the statement, "He devoted his life to informing the world about the truth. Both his legacy and his cause will endure."

The White House also paid its respects, stating that the world was "indebted" to the journalists who died "while shedding light on the atrocities of Russia's invasion."

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Bosnian-born Soldin is the fifteenth journalist slain in Ukraine while covering the conflict since February 2022. At least two other French journalists, Pierre Zakrzewski, and Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, have been slain while documenting the conflict. Bakhmut has been the epicenter of conflict in eastern Ukraine for several months.