Foreign media: Russian journalist killed in drone attack in Donetsk, Russian Foreign Ministry condemns

Komsomolskaya Pravda, a Russian state-sponsored media outlet, confirmed on July 4 (local time) that its on-site correspondent was killed after coming under attack by a Ukrainian army UAV in the vicinity of Donetsk.

According to Pravda, "Ukrainian troops had launched their UAV attack on the journalist's civilian vehicle," adding that the vehicle was far from the frontline.

"According to preliminary information, a vehicle, in which our reporter, who was on mission in Donetsk region, traveled along the highway connecting Donetsk to Gorlivka and [was] attacked by a Ukrainian UAV strike, killing the correspondent on site," a post on Komsomolskaya Pravda's Telegram channel read.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also confirmed the attack, calling it an "intentional murder."

According to Komsomolskaya Pravda, two of the three local correspondents who were traveling with Pravda's correspondent Alexander Martemyanov were injured in the attack. Two other local journalists reporting for a regional Ukrainian-language publishing house working with Pravda had also been injured.

By press time, the Ukrainian side has not yet responded to these reports. The non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists said that Komiomska Pravda is "known for [its] anti-Ukraine stance."

According to the latest statistics released by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 15 journalists had died since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.