Last year claimed over a hundred journalists' lives, this year could be even worse. "Vreme" reminds of some who died in Ukraine
When, in February of this year, there was a now common exchange of bodies between them Russia and Ukraine, among bodies soldiers and civilians there was also the body of Viktorija Rošćina, whose uniform had "PRESS" written on it.
The body was returned with clear signs of torture and abuse in a Russian prison, where the journalist spent more than a year. Some internal organs were also missing from the remains.
Alexander Martemyanov was traveling with two other colleagues between cities in the Donetsk region when his car was hit by a Ukrainian "suicide" drone. All three had something in common - they were journalists.
According to recent data from the International Federation of Journalists, over 115 media workers lost their lives in the war in Ukraine, while over 350 media houses were shut down.
The year 2024 was the deadliest year since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has been keeping track of statistics. The war in Eastern Europe and the war in the Gaza Strip contributed the most to the death of over 124 journalists and media workers in the past year.
The year 2025 is well on its way to breaking this negative record again.
"Now is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ's history. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine are unprecedented in their impact on journalists and show a significant deterioration in global norms to protect journalists in conflict zones, but it is far from the only place where journalists are at risk. Our numbers show that journalists are under attack around the world," said CPJ Executive Director Jody Ginsberg.
"Vreme" provides an overview of the cases of some journalists who have recently lost their lives in Ukraine.
Victoria Roscina
Ukrainian journalist Viktorija Rošćina first disappeared in August 2023 in a part of the territory of Ukraine controlled by Russia.
For over a year, this journalist was in a Russian prison, where she died in September of last year under still unexplained circumstances.
Her remains were returned in February 2025 as part of a body exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
"There were numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment on the body," said Yuriy Belousov, head of the war crimes department of the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, according to Russian IStories.
Aleksandar Martemiyanov
Russian journalist Alexander Martemyanov was killed in January of this year, during an attack by a Ukrainian drone in eastern Ukraine. This part of the territory is under the occupation of Russia.
Ria Agency reports that Martemiyanov was returning with his colleagues from Gorlivka, a city in the Donetsk region, when their car was hit.
Arman Solden
The French journalist, a native of Sarajevo, was part of the team of the AFP news agency when he was killed in May 2023 during a rocket attack in the town of Časov Jar (Bakhmut region).
Solden was an experienced journalist who worked in Eastern Europe as a video coordinator for AFP. During the attack, he was with Ukrainian soldiers, as well as four other colleagues, none of whom were injured.
"Solden was enthusiastic, energetic and brave, totally committed to the job," said Christine Boisard, the agency's director for Europe, according to the BBC.
Anna Prokofiev
Russian journalist Anna Prokofieva died at the front in the Belgorod region when Ukrainian forces were advancing.
"Anna Prokofieva, the military correspondent of Channel 1, was killed while performing her professional duty. It happened in the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, where the camera crew of Channel 1 was blown up by an enemy mine. Cameraman Dmitriy Volkov, who was with Anna, was injured," said the spokesperson of the media for which Prokofieva worked.
Ryan Evans
A member of the Reuters news agency team, Ryan Evans, died in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in August last year.
Ryan was with two other colleagues, who were injured, in the Safir Hotel when he was hit by a missile to the side of the Russian forces.
Evans worked as a security adviser at the agency.
And many others
These are just some of the numerous journalists who lost their lives while reporting. This story is made even more terrible by the fact that the fate of some media workers is unknown, and that their bodies are still somewhere in the east of Ukraine.
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