Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Paris Demands Probe after French Journalist Killed in Ukraine

An undated photo of French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, who was killed in shelling, is seen in this screengrab taken from a video released by BFM TV, obtained by Reuters on May 30, 2022. (BFM TV/via Reuters)

France on Monday called for an investigation after a French journalist was killed in Ukraine when shelling hit the vehicle he was traveling in that was being used for the evacuation of civilians near the city of Sievierodonetsk.

"France demands that a probe be carried out as soon as possible and in transparency on the circumstances of this drama," Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was in Ukraine on Monday, said in a statement.

Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, the latest journalist killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, was on his second reporting trip for French television channel BFM in Ukraine, his employer said.

The governor of Ukraine's Luhansk region Serhiy Haidai said in a post on the messaging service Telegram that an armoured transport vehicle was hit by shrapnel from a Russian shell, killing the journalist. An attached picture showed a truck that appeared to have been adapted with armor.

The evacuation effort was suspended after the strike, he said.

Russia's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied that its forces target civilians in Ukraine.

Colonna said on Twitter that she had spoken to the Luhansk governor and had asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for an investigation.

Both had assured her of their help and support.

"It is a double crime to target a humanitarian convoy and a journalist," she said.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter: "Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was in Ukraine to show the reality of the war. Onboard a humanitarian bus with civilians forced to flee to escape Russian bombs, he was mortally wounded."

Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, said on Twitter: "We strongly condemn this killing. The list of Russian crimes against media workers in Ukraine keeps expanding."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.