On 14 July 2026, a film crew from the programme TSN. Tyzhden was attacked by a Russian FPV drone near Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, around 20 kilometres from the line of contact, according to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
The crew consisted of special correspondent Oleksandr Zahorodnyi and camera operator Oleksii Osavchuk. They were travelling on assignment to Ukrainian drone operators’ positions to prepare a report about the defence of Ukraine’s airspace.
The journalists were moving in a buggy together with 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” press officer Iryna Rybakova and two Ukrainian soldiers when the group spotted a Russian FPV drone. Zahorodnyi said they immediately jumped out of the vehicle, while the soldiers opened fire at the drone and the journalists hid in a tree line. The media workers were wearing marked blue “PRESS” ballistic vests and helmets.
According to Zahorodnyi, the soldiers needed around 13 shots to hit the drone. After being shot down, the drone fell and detonated around 10 metres from the group. Zahorodnyi said the explosion was powerful and that, according to the soldier’s assessment, the drone was carrying around one kilogram of explosives.
No one was injured in the incident. Zahorodnyi said he was not certain that the drone operator had deliberately targeted journalists, noting that the crew’s press markings were visible from a distance but that they were travelling in a military buggy. He said the area was a known high-risk zone where Russian FPV drones frequently hunt civilian vehicles.