A Russian state media correspondent was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Moscow-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, his outlet, the news agency RIA Novosti, said Thursday. 

“RIA Novosti military correspondent Ivan Zuev was killed in the Zaporizhzhia region and his colleague Yuri Voitkevich was seriously injured,” the agency said. 

It added that Zuev died “on assignment, as a result of a strike by a Ukrainian drone”.

Zuev worked for RIA Novosti for a number of years and had received several state awards, it added.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed condolences on Zuev’s death and wished Voitkevich a speedy recovery, according to RIA Novosti. 

Just two weeks ago, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed on assignment near the front line in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. 

His Ukrainian colleague Georgiy Ivanchenko was wounded in the same attack.     

Rights groups say almost two dozen journalists have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Among them was AFP video journalist Arman Soldin, who was killed by rocket fire in 2023.