The world has no right to remain silent when journalists are killed by drones: 2 FREEDOM journalists killed

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) calls on international partners to strengthen security, body armor, and evacuation programs for Ukrainian journalists who risk their lives on the front lines every day.

Yesterday, October 23, in Kramatorsk, a russian Lancet strike drone killed two journalists of the Ukrainian foreign service, FREEDOM. They were war correspondent Aliona Hramova (Hubanova) and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin. According to the FREEDOM channel, special correspondent Oleksandr Kolychev was wounded and delivered to the hospital.

According to the NUJU sources, the russian drone attacked the journalists’ car at 9:37 am. At the time of the hit, the film crew was in a civilian car on the gas station’s property.

This is another crime of the ‘drone war’, directed not only against the military but also against those who document the truth.

As a high-ranking Ukrainian press officer comments for the NUJU:

“These are the realities of drone warfare. There are no safe places in Kramatorsk anymore. There are no safe places along the entire contact line.” Russian UAVs are going 20–30 kilometers deep, hunting down journalists, volunteers, and rescuers.

WE REMEMBER

Aliona Hramova (Hubanova) is a journalist from the Donetsk Region, a native of Yenakiyevo, who left her profession as a financier to become the voice of her region. Since 2021, she had worked as a war correspondent for the state foreign broadcasting channels of Ukraine. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, she had been in the hottest spots of Donbas. In 2023, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olha, 3rd Degree.

Yevhen Karmazin, a cameraman from Kramatorsk, had been working on Ukrainian foreign television channels since 2022. He was 33 years old.

FREEDOM emphasized in its appeal:

“Aliona Hramova constantly worked in the hottest spots of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk Regions, telling the world the truth about how the russian military is destroying her native Donetsk Region. She remained in Kramatorsk to show what its people are going through.”

The NUJU calls on all editorial offices working near the front line to:

• Immediately review security protocols.
• Consider that the time to “arrive in Kramatorsk and from there go to the front line” has passed.
• Plan work taking into account the minimum stay time, dispersal of equipment, monitoring drone activity, backup evacuation routes, and enhanced armored transport protection.
• Act in constant contact with press officers and defense forces, with a realistic hourly risk assessment.

Sergiy Tomilenko, the President of the NUJU and Member of the Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists:

“The risk assessment for journalists has increased rapidly precisely because of russian drones that are purposefully hunting the press. We express our deepest condolences to the families of Aliona Hramova (Hubanova) and Yevhen Karmazin. Our words of support to the wounded Oleksandr Kolychev.

The NUJU appeals to our international partners to strengthen security programs, including providing body armor, communication facilities, and evacuation for journalists working in the combat zone.

The world must see the truth — and help those who risk their lives to bring it to light.”

NUJU Information Service