Two journalists killed, one injured as Russian drone strikes hit Ukraine

Two journalists have died with one other injured after the vehicle they were travelling in were struck by drones in the Kramatorsk region, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin revealed the information via his Telegram channel naming the two journalists as Olena Hramova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin who both worked at Freedom TV. 

Freedom TV later confirmed in a statement that another member of the crew, special correspondent Oleksandr Kolychev, was injured in the attack and has been hospitalized.

Hramova, Karmazin, and Kolychev had reportedly been on assignment in the region when a Russian Lancet kamikaze drone struck the vehicle they were traveling in according to reports by Kyiv Independent.

“Russia continues to target journalists who are documenting its war against Ukraine — killing them and wounding them,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, condemning the attack.

The deaths of Hramova and Karmazin mark another loss for Ukraine’s press community, which continues to report from front-line regions under constant threat of Russian attack.

The Freedom TV newsroom in Kyiv has been destroyed twice by Russian missile strikes in 2025.

The strikes come as the EU unveiled its 19th sanctions package against Russia while the Trump led administration also sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, both Russian oil companies.

Moscow responded to these sanctions calling them 'counterproductive'. 

Russia has repeatedly targeted reporters and media infrastructure since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has killed at least 133 media workers in Ukraine, including those who had joined the military, and committed 848 crimes against journalists and media outlets, according to  the Institute of Mass Information (IMI).

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