AFP Journalist Killed in Rocket Attack in Eastern Ukraine

IN the ideological coordinator of AFP for Ukraine, Arman Soldin, was killed today in a rocket attack near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, reported AFP journalists who witnessed the incident, reports BGNES.

The attack took place around 4:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. GMT) on the outskirts of the city, near Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine for several months.

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The AFP team was fired upon by Grad rockets while with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.

Soldin, 32, was killed when a rocket landed near where he was lying.

The other members of the team were not injured.

“The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Armand,” AFP president Fabrice Fries said.

“His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers journalists face every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.”

Born in Sarajevo, Soldin is a French citizen.

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In 2015, he started working for AFP as an intern in the Rome bureau and was later assigned to work in London.

He is part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving the next day.

Soldin has been living in Ukraine since September, leading the team’s reporting and regularly traveling to the front lines in the east and south of the country.

Soldin’s death means at least 11 journalists or media staff and drivers have been killed covering the war in Ukraine, according to media protection groups Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

“Arman’s brilliant work encapsulates everything that has made us proud of AFP journalism since the start of the war in Ukraine,” said Phil Chetwynd, the agency’s international editor-in-chief.

“Arman’s death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers of covering this war. Our thoughts tonight are with his family and friends, and with all our people on the ground in Ukraine.”

AFP director for Europe Christine Bouhagiar remembered Soldin as “enthusiastic, energetic and brave”.

“He was a true field reporter, always ready to work even in the most difficult places,” she said. “He was completely devoted to his profession.”