On Tuesday, rocket fire in the troubled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine claimed the life of a French journalist employed by the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
According to the media journals, he was with four of his colleagues at the time of the attack, but others are safe.
Who was Arman Soldin?
French national Soldin was a 32-year-old journalist born in Sarajevo. In 2015, he worked as a video coordinator for AFP as an intern in its Rome office before being hired in London.
After the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, he was a member of the first AFP team dispatched to Ukraine, which arrived the next day.
He was the leading member of the team, regularly covering the war scenario and travelling to the east and south to cover the front lines.
Image Source – NBC News
His struggle during the coverage
Colleagues remarked that Soldin possessed a special talent for capturing the essence of those entangled in the Ukraine crisis and trying to survive amid the chaos.
Amidst the mayhem, he witnessed many struggling lives and helped them escape hell. He witnessed a piteous conversation between a conscripted father and his little son who had escaped to another nation.
Even earlier this month, he pulled a wounded hedgehog from a trench and took care of it till it healed. Media advocacy organizations Reporters have noted the loss of media persons during this conflict coverage to at least 11.
Earlier this month, while he and his reporters came under rocket fire close to the front line, Soldin continued to record with his video camera.
By the war reporting colleagues from Russia, he identified as a man who was always ready to sacrifice his life for others. A man with a great courageous heart.
Tribute to Arman Soldin
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AFP’s Europe Director, Christine Buhagiar
He was undoubtedly a great enthusiastic, energetic, and brave personality.
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Yoga
This kind of death is an eye-opener for all of us as the resulting danger of covering such wars. Let’s pray for the departed soul.
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AFP
We are shattered to hear the news of Arman Soldin in eastern Ukraine today; our prayers are with his family and loved ones.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, expressed his sorrow over Soldin’s passing on Twitter by writing: We are uncertain to witness this piteous news, and we pray for his family and friends.
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