French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff killed in Ukraine

New York, May 30, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the death of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff while covering the war in Ukraine, CPJ Executive Director Robert Mahoney said Monday.

Leclerc-Imhoff, a reporter for French broadcast BFMTV, was reported killed on Monday, May 30, after an armored evacuation vehicle came under “enemy fire” as Russian troops entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, according to statements by BFMTV and Luhansk regional governor, Serhiy Haidai. France’s foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, said Leclerc-Imhoff was killed by a Russian attack “while he was carrying out his duty to inform.”

“The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the death of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff and calls on Russian and Ukrainian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death,” said Mahoney. “His killing is yet another example of the hideous toll taken on non-combatants by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Journalists are civilians who show particular courage by reporting from war zones and should never be targeted for their work.”

The BFMTV statement said that Leclerc-Imhoff’s colleague Maxime Brandstaetter was slightly injured during this strike and their “fixer” Oksana Leuta was not hurt.

Leclerc-Imhoff is at least the eighth journalist to be killed while reporting on the war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine on February 24. CPJ has confirmed that at least seven others died while covering the conflict and is investigating whether the deaths of another seven were work-related.

Check out CPJ’s Russia-Ukraine Watch, updated weekly on Thursdays here, and sign up to receive a daily digest of our coverage of the war and press freedom here.

CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists)