July 31, 2024

31.07.2024 – Two Ukrainian Photographers Injured in Russian Artillery Attack Near Toretsk

On 19 July 2024 Ukrainian photographers Olga Kovalova (Ольга Ковальова) and Vladyslav Krasnoshchok (Владислав Краснощок ) were documenting Ukrainian artillery operations near the front line in Toretsk (Торецьк), Donetsk region (Донецька область), Ukraine, when they came under fire from Russian artillery. The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (Українська Асоціація Професійних Фотографів- UAPP – https://www.ukrainianphotographers.com/en), where Kovalova is working, reported that the photographers were working with the Ukrainian army at the time. Both photographers are from Kharkiv ( Харків) in Ukraine.

You can read the UAPP report here: https://www.ukrainianphotographers.com/en/post/hit-in-a-dugout-1

The incident occurred after the Ukrainian military fired several shots at Russian positions. Seeking cover, the soldiers, along with Kovalova and Krasnoshchok, took refuge in a dugout. Krasnoshchok recounted that while they were in the dugout, Russian forces began their counterattack. Initially, 12 shells landed in a nearby field, but the thirteenth struck the dugout directly.

As a result, Kovalova sustained multiple injuries, including shrapnel wounds to her underarm, supraclavicular area, and chest, as well as a fractured rib. She was promptly hospitalized. Krasnoshchok and the soldiers in the dugout suffered concussions.

Kovalova detailed her injuries, mentioning that she sustained three shrapnel wounds. Doctors were able to remove two of the fragments, which were dangerously close to major blood vessels. However, one fragment remains lodged in her body, as removing it could cause further harm. As a result, her right arm is currently completely non-functional.

The military provided first aid to Kovalova before evacuating her to a field hospital, then to a military hospital in Pokrovsk (Покровськ), Ukraine, and finally to a civilian hospital where two of the three shrapnel fragments were removed. She is now in stable condition at a hospital in Kharkiv (Харків), Ukraine.

Kovalova explained that she was injured because she was sitting near an improvised ventilation pipe through which the shrapnel entered. Her bulletproof vest and helmet provided some protection, but the shrapnel struck areas without coverage.

This attack highlights the severe dangers faced by journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the attack on Ukrainian photographers in the strongest terms. The incident, which resulted in serious injuries to Kovalova and concussions to Krasnoshchok , underscores the extreme dangers faced by journalists covering the conflict. Covering armed conflicts poses the most serious threat to a journalist. A security training is very important before stating to a war area. If journalists are attaching themselves to military units, as being with military forces provides with exclusive access to frontline stories, it is important to know, that the risk of embedding with military forces should not be underestimated.

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.

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