Russian forces used a drone to attack a vehicle carrying journalists in the Zaporizhia direction, targeting Margarita Potapova, a journalist from the Ukrainian Witness YouTube project, and cameraman Oleksandr Davydenko.
The attack occurred as the team was visiting positions held by the Spartan 3rd Operational Brigade, according to Detector Media and Ukrinform.
Incident Details
The journalists arrived at the Spartan brigade’s mortar positions to document their work and assess activity in the Zaporizhia direction. As they approached, a Russian drone reportedly began observing their movements.
While the team initially believed the drone was friendly, as brigade drones often monitor vehicle movements, the enemy craft dropped a VOG fragmentation munition on their vehicle during the disembarkation of soldiers and journalists.
The explosion left the press officer with shrapnel injuries, while Potapova was stunned. The car’s electronic warfare system was also damaged.
Realizing the danger, the group immediately took cover in a nearby area, avoiding a second drone strike. Once in a dugout, a soldier with the call sign “Chorny” provided first aid to the injured press officer.
The team recounted their ordeal, noting that Russian forces subsequently targeted their location with mortar fire. "The mortars were flying very close—it was terrifying," Potapova said, explaining that her concern for others helped her stay calm during the incident.
Despite changing their route, the return journey was also unsafe as they remained under surveillance by enemy drones.
In November, a similar incident occurred when Hromadske journalist Ksenia Savoskina and videographer Oleksiy Nikulin were targeted by Russian drones in the Kharkiv region. Their car was destroyed, but they escaped uninjured.
