On 25 November 2024, Hromadske journalist Ksenia Savoskina and cameraman Alexey Nikulin came under fire from a Russian drone while reporting near Kupiansk in Kharkiv region, Hromadske reported.
The reporting crew said that they were filming a story about the evacuation of animals from the left bank of the Oskil river, on which Kupiansk is located, and the left bank of which is partially occupied by Russian forces. Savoskina and Nikulin were traveling in two cars and were accompanied by a Ukrainian soldier, as well as by local animal protection volunteers. While traveling, the soldier noticed horses which needed to be evacuated.
When the journalists began filming the evacuation, they heard sounds of drones and decided to hide in a nearby hangar. A few minutes later, an explosion occurred. The car, which contained a backpack with the journalists’ camera lenses, caught fire.
Hromadske reported that as one of the cars was burned down, the journalists had to walk back to their initial place of departure on foot. Savoskina estimated the distance they needed to walk to have been about three kilometers, or slightly more. During this time, the reporting crew and the Ukrainian soldier accompanying them reportedly needed to hide from drones several times.
No one was injured in the incident.