On 17 January 2025, journalist Marharyta Potapova, who works for online outlet Ukrainian Witness, reported that her, her camera operator as well as Ukrainian soldiers traveling with them, came under Russian fire while reporting near the positions of a Ukrainian army brigade near Zaporizhia. Potapova said that her and camera operator Oleksandr Davydenko were not harmed in the incident.
According to the journalist, Russian forces targeted the car that the group was traveling in, using a drone to drop a grenade nearby. Potapova said that they were able to evacuate rapidly, due to which she only suffered a temporary loss of hearing. The journalist did not explain whether she believed Russian forces targeted the group due to the presence of journalists.