Russian journalist killed in Ukrainian drone attack

A Russian journalist was killed in a drone attack in eastern Ukraine, his employer said on Sunday. Just a few days earlier, a cameraman from the pro-government broadcaster NTV was killed near the front line.

“Our correspondent Nikita Tsitsagi was killed in an attack by drones of the Ukrainian army,” said a statement by NEWS.ru on Telegram.

The broadcaster said the attack took place near the Saint-Nicolas Monastery near the town of Vugledar, where heavy fighting has taken place over the past three months.

Tsitsagi has reported for a number of Russian news publications, including Lenta.ru, Holod and Novaya Vkladka, the latter two operating in exile abroad.

On Thursday, a cameraman from the pro-government NTV television channel was killed and a war correspondent injured in an attack in eastern Ukraine. Law enforcement authorities launched an investigation into the attack.

The Russian Investigative Committee, which investigates serious crimes, said it was dealing Kozhin’s Death as murder and a case of “obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalists”.

President Vladimir Putin claimed earlier this month that “at least 30” Russian journalists had been killed since he ordered the large-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years ago.

AFP contributed to the reporting.