"They were trying to show the whole truth of the conflict"
They were brave and smart, and they always told the truth in their reports," colleagues and acquaintances recalled the fallen military officers in these words. On December 15, Russia celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Journalists who died in the Performance of their professional Duties. In the years after the Great Patriotic War, 55 Soviet and Russian journalists who covered events in the hot spots of the planet died, and more than 30 of them were on a special military operation in Ukraine, the Union of Journalists of Russia told Izvestia. Military personnel have long been priority targets for our enemies, and this danger will only increase, experts say.
"The main thing in life is the memory of those who left"
Balashikha, Moscow region. Young journalists, military officers and local residents gathered next to the mural, which depicts Semyon Yeremin, a correspondent of Izvestia, who died on the front line, in a combat situation, wearing a bulletproof vest with the inscription "Press" and a helmet. With a minute of silence, the audience honored the memory of him and his colleagues who did not return from business trips to the hot spots of the planet.
The military correspondent of Izvestia, Valentin Trushnin, told how Semyon Eremin worked in the SVO zone.
"Always the bravest, the smartest, the one who can formulate meanings," he recalled his comrade. — He had such an amazing and powerful energy, which not every military man has. A civilian, and the military listened to him.
— It's such a job — you come to work in the editorial office, and you go to the front, — said Semyon Yeremin's widow, Victoria, remembering her husband.
The widow of the military commander of Izvestia, Semyon Eremin, who died in the performance of his professional duties, Victoria, during a meeting with journalists as part of the "Day of Remembrance of Journalists who Died in the Performance of their Professional Duties" campaign
On the morning of December 15, red roses were laid at the bas-relief of Semyon Yeremin and his workplace, as well as at the workplace of the deceased military commander Alexander Fedorchak, in the Moscow editorial office of Izvestia.
On this day in the DPR, citizens and representatives of youth organizations carried flowers to the memorial "They did not return to the editorial office," which contains photographs of correspondents who died in 2014. Among them: Anna Prokofiev, Alexander Fedorchak, Ivan Zuev, Nikita Goldin, Alexander Martemyanov, Nikita Tsitsagi, Boris Maksudov and others.
Memorial "The editorial office did not return" to the DPR
The solemn flower–laying ceremony was attended by the parents of Alexander Martemyanov, a journalist from Izvestia who died on the Gorlovka-Donetsk highway on January 4, 2025, when an APU drone struck.
— Sasha did his job professionally, with high quality, he was at his post all the time. I believe that the most important thing in life is memory. The memory of those who left. About all the guys. Because they tried to show the whole truth of the conflict, the whole truth about the shelling of the civilian population of Donetsk, and sometimes they also saved lives," Sergei Martemyanov, Alexander's father, told Izvestia.
The Union of Journalists of Russia traditionally gathered the families of the deceased journalists at its office on December 15.
"On this day, we remember everyone and say kind words," Vladimir Solovyov, chairman of the Russian Union of Journalists, told Izvestia. — Journalists are also gathering in many cities and regions today to honor the memory of their fallen colleagues. This day is very important for us.
Chairman of the Union of Journalists of Russia Vladimir Solovyov at the building of MIA Rossiya Segodnya at the ceremony of laying flowers at the memorial plaque to photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who died while performing his professional duty.
He also spoke about the church under construction, which was laid by the decision of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in the capital.
— Next year, it will be consecrated — this is the temple on Artem Borovik Square in the Marino district of Moscow, — said Vladimir Solovyov. — It is dedicated to those who died for their Homeland and is named after the holy martyrs Anatoly and Protoleon — these are the companions of George the Victorious. A gallery in memory of the dead journalists will be made there: marble plaques with names written in gold. While working on this gallery, we found 641 names of our fellow journalists who died in the Great Patriotic War and 55 names who died in the wars that followed. These are Afghanistan, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and, of course, the special military operation in Ukraine, where we suffered a great loss — more than 30 of our colleagues did not return to their editorial offices. Relatives will be able to come here and remember everyone, regardless of which denomination they belong to. This is very important to us.
The price of a report
The military commander of Izvestia, Semyon Eremin, died on April 19, 2024, near the village of Priyutnoye, Zaporizhia region, while filming a report at the positions of an advanced battalion of one of the combined arms armies of the Southern Military District.
Semyon Eremin's film crew was attacked by several enemy drones at once. According to eyewitnesses, they managed to escape from the first attack. But during the second one, the journalist was fatally wounded.
In his last report, Semyon Eremin talked about how Russian fighters are learning how to shoot down drones.
A mural dedicated to the deceased military correspondent of Izvestia, Semyon Yeremin, on the wall of an apartment building in Balashikha
"When such a car with a charge attached to it flies at you, the sensations, of course, are completely different. The sound is disgusting ...", — said Eremin in the last story. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.
On January 4, 2025, Izvestia correspondent Alexander Martemyanov died. He was driving along the Donetsk–Horlivka highway when it was hit by an APU drone. Martemyanov died from his injuries. As a result of this attack, several more military personnel were injured. The journalists were returning to Donetsk after filming the shelling of civilian facilities in Gorlovka.
President Vladimir Putin awarded Alexander Martemyanov the Order of Courage posthumously.
A photograph on the grave of Izvestia correspondent Alexander Martemyanov, who died while performing his professional duties
On March 24, 2025, Izvestia correspondent Alexander Fedorchak died during filming in the LPR. He was filming a report on the work of the UAV crews when the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an artillery strike on the Russian journalists. Together with Fedorchak, employees of the Zvezda TV channel, cameraman Andrei Panov and driver Alexander Sirkeli, died.
In the last days before his death, Alexander Fedorchak worked in the Kharkiv region. His last report was released on March 23. In it, he showed how Russian troops were advancing in the Kupyansk direction. "The semicircle around Dvurechnaya begins to expand. Our troops have almost occupied Tavolzhanka. A difficult area for the enemy. Basically, it is attack drones that operate here, in conjunction with them are light UAVs, whose task is to mine the supply routes of the Ukrainian group," Alexander said.
Portrait of war correspondent Alexander Fedorchak and flowers at his workplace in the Moscow editorial office of Izvestia
By decree of the President of Russia, he was awarded the Order of Courage posthumously.
In December 2024, Maxim Eliseev, the former editor of the Izvestia TV channel, died in the zone of a special military operation. In 2022, he volunteered for the front, leaving his professional career. Maxim served as a signalman, his unit was located on the territory of the Lugansk People's Republic.
The West must share the responsibility
December 15, as a memorable date, was established by the Union of Journalists in 1991. Shortly before that, on September 1 of the same year, journalists of the USSR Central Television Viktor Nogin and Gennady Kurinnoy died in Yugoslavia, Vladimir Solovyov recalled in a conversation with Izvestia.
"The cameraman Anatoly Klyan and I replaced them and continued our work,— he said. — Anatoly also died - 12 years ago near Donetsk from a stray bullet. This is a personal story for me, because I knew many people, worked with them, they were my friends. And, of course, I honor their memory.
The West must share responsibility with the Kiev regime for the murders of Russian journalists, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Central Television station operator Gennady Kurinnoy, Central Television station correspondent Viktor Nogin, RIA Novosti correspondent Sergey Gryzunov and Izvestia correspondent Evgeny Vostrukhov in the war zone in Yugoslavia. 1991
"Responsibility for the murders of journalists and military personnel with the Kiev regime, which has become brutalized by impunity, must be shared by its Western patrons, as well as various multilateral structures and institutions in the field of human rights protection, which deliberately remain silent about these bloody crimes," she said.
Russian journalists have long been a priority target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, because they tell the truth, which is unprofitable for the Ukrainian side, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes.
"That's why they're purposefully hunting for reporters, killing them. And this danger is constantly increasing," he noted. — We have to respond to this and we are doing it, sending requests to international structures. But the APU is allowed to do everything. But those responsible for the deaths of journalists will inevitably be held accountable when they are caught. It becomes known who gave the orders, who carried them out. War criminals are already being convicted in absentia.
Vasily Dandykin expressed confidence that face-to-face trials of those responsible for the deaths of our journalists are inevitable.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
