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Soldin, 32, was a video coordinator with the French wire service, AFP said. He started overlaying the battle at its begin in February 2022 and had lived in Ukraine full-time since September.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Soldin was “one in all our compatriots.”
“With braveness, from the primary hours of the battle, he was on the entrance to determine the info. To tell us,” Macron wrote on Twitter. “We share the ache of his family members and all his colleagues.”
Soldin was with Ukrainian troopers and different AFP journalists close to the city of Chasiv Yar when he was struck by Grad rocket hearth about 4:30 p.m., AFP stated. Nobody else amongst its staff suffered accidents, it added.
In a tragic echo of what was to come back, Soldin said on Twitter final week that “being caught beneath a rain of Grad yesterday with a bunch of trench-diggers might be one of many worst issues that I’ve skilled since being in Ukraine, with rockets exploding lower than 50 metres away. Pure terror.”
Fabrice Fries, AFP’s chairman, stated the company was devastated by the loss. “His demise is a horrible reminder of the dangers and risks confronted by journalists every single day overlaying the battle in Ukraine,” he stated.
Soldin was a French nationwide who was born within the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. He spoke six languages, in keeping with his Twitter bio.
He was identified for his form nature. In the past weeks, he had rescued a hedgehog from a shelling crater and nursed it again to well being.
On the backside of the underside of a crater from a Russian shelling…We tried to present him some water however weren’t very profitable…and found he additionally had a head damage too..he did not take a look at his finest tbh however nonetheless he was sooo cute ! SOUND ON
2/11 #ukraine @EmmanuelP_AFP pic.twitter.com/03023rmbTc
— Arman Soldin (@ArmanSoldin) April 28, 2023
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “All we are able to do is specific our remorse.” However he added that it was “essential to look into the circumstances of the demise of this journalist.” He referred reporters to Russia’s Protection Ministry for extra info and warned towards trusting Ukraine’s narrative.
The combating in Bakhmut has been among the many bloodiest for the reason that conflict started, outlined by trench and concrete warfare with heavy casualties on each side, devastating what was a metropolis of about 70,000 individuals.
U.S. officers told reporters on April 30 that Russian forces have suffered 20,000 deaths and 80,000 accidents since December, many round Bakhmut. The Ukrainian determine is unclear.
Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
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