A Ukrainian drone strike resulted in the death of Russian journalist Nikita Tsitsagi in Vuhledar, located in the Donetsk region. The incident occurred near Saint-Nicolas monastery, an area experiencing intense conflict for the past three months. This attack comes just two days after another Russian journalist, Valery Kozhin, succumbed to injuries from a Ukrainian drone strike in Golmivsky, a Russian-controlled village near the front line in the same region.
President Vladimir Putin recently stated that "at least 30" Russian journalists have lost their lives on the front line since the start of the Ukraine conflict. Russia's Investigative Committee is treating Kozhin’s death as a murder and involving the obstruction of journalistic activities.
In related events, Ukrainian drones have been targeting Russian airbases. A notable attack damaged one, possibly two, Su-57 stealth fighters at Akhtubinsk airbase, near Volgograd, approximately 370 miles from Ukrainian territory. This reflects Ukraine’s strategy to compromise Russian air operations by forcing the relocation of aircraft or increasing air defense deployments. The attack suggests limitations in Russia's electronic warfare capacity to protect its interior despite effective jamming capabilities along the front lines.