AFP journalist Armand Soldin was killed in a missile launch in Ukraine

Video coordinator in Ukraine for AFP Arman Soldin He was killed on Tuesday by a missile near Chasiv Yar in the east of the country UkraineAFP journalists who witnessed the incident said.

The attack took place around 4:30 pm on the outskirts of the town near Bakhmut, the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine for months.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines team was exposed to Grad missiles while they were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.

Soldin, 32, was killed when a missile landed near where he was lying. The rest of the team was not injured.

“The entire agency is devastated by the loss of Arman,” said AFP chief Fabrice Fries. “His death is a terrible reminder of the stakes and dangers journalists face every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.”

Born in Sarajevo, Soldin was a French citizen.

He began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome office in 2015, and was later assigned to London.

He was part of the first FAF team that was sent to Ukraine after the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving the next day.

Soldin has lived in Ukraine since September, leads the team’s coverage and regularly travels to the front lines in the east and south.

Solden’s death means the deaths of at least 11 journalists or media staff assistants and drivers while covering the war in Ukraine, according to media advocacy groups Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“Arman’s fantastic work summed up everything that made us so proud of AFP journalism in Ukraine,” acting director of global news Phil Chetwynd said in a statement. “Arman’s death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers of covering this war. Our thoughts tonight are with his family and friends, and with all of our people on the ground in Ukraine.”

Christine Buhagar, AFP Europe director, recalled that Soldin was “enthusiastic, energetic and courageous”.

“He was a real down-to-earth reporter, always ready to work even in the most difficult places,” she said. “He was completely devoted to his craft.”

Just a day before his death, Soldin was recording the atrocities of war, posting a video on social media working doctors On the heart of a wounded soldier.

Solden who The Twitter profile picture contains a cat On its back, it also appears to have an animal soft spot. Last week, an animal rescue group tweeted a video of Solden and his team rescuing an injured hedgehog from a ditch in Ukraine.

“The team found her barely alive, gave her some water and took her to a safe place,” Unimals Eng wrote on Twitter. “They fed the animal and let it recover for a few days before releasing it into the wild.”

White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre He said In a statement released on Tuesday, “Our hearts go out to the family of journalist Arman Soldin, who lost his life today reporting from the front lines of the war in Ukraine, and to Arman’s colleagues at AFP. Journalism is essential to a free society. The world owes a debt to Armand and to the 10 other reporters and media professionals who lost their lives while highlighting the horrors of the Russian invasion.”

AFP photojournalist Daniel Leal responded to the news of his colleague’s death with a simple message on Twitter: “Forever remembered. Love forever. Armand Soldin.”