(MENAFN) Russian conflict reporter Ivan Zuyev has lost his life following a drone strike launched by Ukrainian forces, according to an announcement made on Thursday by his employer, RIA Novosti.

Alongside him, another journalist, Yury Voytkevich, sustained injuries but is currently reported to be in a stable state.

The attack reportedly took place in the Zaporozhye Region of Russia, situated to the north of Crimea. This territory is partially under the control of Ukrainian troops, RIA noted in its report.

Dmitry Kiselev, who heads Rossiya Segodnya, the organization that owns RIA, paid tribute to Zuyev, calling him a courageous reporter who perished while performing his professional duties.

“He did a lot to report the truth from the warzone,” Kiselev stated.

The Kremlin strongly criticized the drone strike. Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova accused Kiev of deliberately targeting media professionals. “Journalists have long been targets of Kiev’s terrorism,” she declared.

Zuyev is now the third journalist from RIA to be killed amid the ongoing conflict.

In July 2023, reporter Rostislav Zhuravlev died in a missile attack launched by Ukrainian forces, an incident that also left three other reporters injured.

Earlier, in August 2014, photojournalist Andrey Stenin was killed while documenting the rebellion in the Donbass region, also at the hands of Ukrainian troops.

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