French journalist Arman Soldin killed in Russian missile strike near Bakhmut

On May 9, 2023, Arman Soldin, an AFP video reporter, was killed in Russia’s missile attack on eastern Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the Institute of Mass Information, referring to Agence France-Presse (AFP), an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In particular, the enemy missile attack took place near Chasiv Yar, which is not far from the Donetsk region’s Bakhmut.

According to Le Monde, Arman Soldin and his AFP colleagues came under fire in eastern Ukraine while they were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.

“Soldin, 32, was killed when a rocket struck close to where he was lying. The rest of the team was uninjured,” the report states.

AFP chairman Fabrice Fries noted that Soldin’s death is “a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine.”

Born in Sarajevo, Soldin was a French national who began working for AFP as an intern in its Rome bureau in 2015 and was later hired in London. He was part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine following the start of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, arriving on the following day.

Soldin had been living in Ukraine since September 2022, leading the team’s video coverage and travelling regularly to the front lines in the east and south.

The Institute of Mass Information emphasized that Arman Soldin had become the 57th media professional to have died in Ukraine due to Russian armed aggression and the 10th journalist killed by Russian troops while performing professional duties.