Death of the French photojournalist Antoni Lallican in Donbass

He had chosen the image as a universal language. The French photojournalist Antoni Lallican died this Friday October 3 in Ukraine, struck by a drone while he was reporting in the Donbass, for the Hans Lucas photography agency.

“The circumstances of the incident, which occurred on Friday morning at 9:20 am local time, are still the subject of an investigation,” wrote the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). A Ukrainian journalist, Heorgiy Ivanchenko, was also injured in the same attack. They both wore protective equipment and bulletproof vests stamped “press”, said the EFJ.

On the social network X, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, denounced a Russian attack: “Our compatriot, the photojournalist Antoni Lallican, accompanied the Ukrainian army on the resistance front. I learned with deep sadness his death, victim of an attack on Russian drones. I send my emotional condolences to his family, to his relatives, as well as to all his colleagues who, at the risk of their lives, inform us and testify to the reality of war. “

Based in Paris, the French photojournalist has collaborated with many media, including The pilgrim. He had won the Victor-Hugo Prize for photography engaged in 2024, for his “sudden, heaven” report “devoted to war in Ukraine.

According to the Hans Lucas agency, Antoni “was an experienced, committed and deeply human professional. His work was focused on social and societal issues, with particular attention to conflict and human rights areas. ”

“For journalists, each trip to the front area is a fatal risk. Antoni Lallican has taken this risk repeatedly, coming to Ukraine, going to the Donbass, documenting what many prefer not to see. He built a visual bridge between the world and the Ukrainian reality. Today, he is part of this tragic history himself, “said the National Union of Journalists (SNJ).