On 23 June 2026, a Russian FPV drone attempted to attack a Suspilne Dnipro film crew while they were recording an interview with a Ukrainian serviceman on the Zaporizhia front.
The crew consisted of correspondent Antonina Chuiko and camera operator Oleksandr Shaldybin. They were working with a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a settlement in Zaporizhzhia region, recording soldiers’ accounts of withdrawing from positions. Chuiko was wearing bulletproof vest marked “PRESS”.
Chuiko said the three crew members were wearing body armour, helmets and first aid kits when they heard the sound of a drone. A serviceman outside told them it was an FPV drone. The journalists hid inside a building, where they continued filming. According to Chuiko, the drone hovered above them, then flew away, after which an explosion was heard.
After that, the crew decided to quickly finish the interview and leave the area. However, another drone soon appeared nearby. Their civilian car was parked under trees nearby, but the journalists decided not to run to it immediately and waited instead.
Chuiko said camera operator Oleksandr Shaldybin tried to leave first but returned because an FPV drone was hovering near the tree line through which they would have had to run to reach the car. After the drone flew away, the crew ran to the vehicle and left the area.