Death of French reporter in Ukraine - 24th May 2023

The role of a journalist is, for many, not just to tell a story. It's to bring the truth to light, so as to show the world what's going on. And as a journalist, telling the truth often means putting your own life in danger.

Arman Soldin was working in Ukraine for Agence France-Presse (AFP) when he was killed. Soldin was one of the first TV journalists to travel to the region at the beginning of the war. According to his mother, '"he wanted to see the truth."

On 9th May, that search ended in his own death when Soldin, together with his team, were in the middle of a rocket attack close to Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine. No other team members were injured.

The total number of journalists who've died has now reached 11, but could be higher.

At AFP centres in various countries, there was a minute's silence to remember and honour their colleague.

Phil Chetwynd: "I think just what emerges from that is just a simply wonderful human being, an unbelievably dedicated journalist who believed his work could make the world a better place. He was in Ukraine because he believed in that and I think it's incredibly important that we remember that and honour that."

Arman Soldin died at the age of 32. Born in Bosnia but a French citizen, his death will be investigated by French legal experts as a war crime.

Soldin's work in Ukraine provides much of the video material in this report.