French journalist killed by shrapnel from Russian shelling in the east of Ukraine
A French journalist has been killed after an armored evacuation vehicle he was traveling in was hit by shrapnel from a Russian shell in Severodonetsk in the east of Ukraine, Ukrainian and French authorities have said.
News channel BFMTV stated it was “immensely saddened” to announce the death of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, who had worked for it for six years and was on his second tour of the conflict, adding that the journalist and cameraman was killed on the road to Lysychansk.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the reporter “was in Ukraine to show the reality of the war. Onboard a humanitarian bus, alongside civilians, forced to flee to escape Russian bombs, he was fatally shot. I share the pain of the family, relatives, and colleagues of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, to whom I send my condolences.”
The Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Haidai, said that an armored vehicle was going to evacuate ten people from the region and came under enemy fire. Shrapnel from shells ripped through the vehicle’s armor. The French journalist sustained a fatal wound to his neck, whereas a patrol police officer survived thanks to his helmet.
