A French journalist had been killed while working in Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Twitter Monday, the latest of several journalists killed or injured during Russia’s invasion of the country.
“Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was in Ukraine to show the reality of war. Onboard a humanitarian bus with civilians forced to flee to escape Russian bombings, he was mortally wounded,” Macron wrote.
Leclerc-Imhoff was 32 years old, working for the BFM television news channel, and on his second trip to Ukraine since the war began on February 24.
He was near Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been pounded by advancing Russian troops in recent weeks, the French and Ukrainian foreign ministries said in separate statements.
Read more; Russia says five dead in strikes on Donetsk in eastern Ukraine
Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who visited Kyiv on Monday, said in the statement that “France demands the opening of a transparent inquiry as soon as possible to shed all the light on the circumstances of this tragedy.”
“I share the grief of his family, relatives and colleagues,” Macron wrote, adding that “to those who ensure the difficult mission of reporting in combat zones, I want to reiterate France’s unconditional support.”
Over a dozen journalists have been killed while reporting on the Ukraine conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international media advocacy group.
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