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AFP journalist Arman Soldin was killed on Tuesday by rocket fire in eastern Ukraine. ‘‘The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman’’ AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said.
‘‘His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine’’, Fries added.
‘‘Arman’s brilliant work encapsulated everything that has made us so proud of AFP’s journalism in Ukraine’’ the agency’s Global News Director Phil Chetwynd said.
Arman was killed by a rocket strike as he reported with four AFP colleagues from Ukrainian positions in the town of Chasiv Yar, close to Bakhmut, the epicentre of the fighting in eastern Ukraine for several months. The rest of the AFP team escaped unhurt.
Arman Soldin, 32, was appointed as Ukraine video coordinator based in Kyiv in September last year. He was part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine following the start of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving on the following day.
Soldin had been living in Ukraine since September, leading the team’s coverage and travelling regularly to the front lines in the east and south.
“Our thoughts tonight are with his family and friends, and with all our people on the ground in Ukraine”, Phil Chetwynd said.
AFP’s Europe Director Christine Buhagiar remembered Soldin as ‘‘enthusiastic, energetic and brave’’. ‘‘He was a real on-the-ground reporter, always ready to work even in the most difficult places’’ she said. ‘‘He was totally devoted to his craft.’’
Source:AFP