"Nakypilo" journalist injured in a Russian drone strike on Kharkiv

The Russian mass drone strike on Kharkiv on the night of April 4 injured Victor Pichuhin, a journalist with the "Nakypilo" Media Group, reported the IMI representative in the Kharkiv oblast.

The Russian strikes hit civilian infrastructure and apartment buildings. Victor was working side-by-side with the paramedics, filming their work and the aftermath of the strikes.

The journalist received a concussion and plans to go to a hospital for a full examination. Victor came under fire when the Russians "double tapped" an apartment building while rescuers were working after the first strike. This killed four people (three emergency workers and one civilian woman) and injured 12 more.

Victor Pichuhin in a bomb shelter. Photo by Victor Pichuhin

In the comment to the IMI representative, the journalist remarked that he was very lucky and considered this day his second birthday, since the explosion went off very close to him.

Victor said that he survived because he had headed out in time together with the paramedics and because they were wearing safety gear – bulletproof vests and helmets. He was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest provided by the Institute of Mass Information.

They were also saved by an emergency service car that shielded them from the main blast. Three rescuers died in that car. In another 10 minutes, the air raid alarm sounded for the third time, and the police took everyone to the bomb shelter; the journalist spent the next 20–30 minutes there.

On another note, Victor stresses that his fellow journalists should not neglect the bulletproof vests, helmets and first-aid kits, as it is obvious that such "double taps" (repeated strike on the same spot) are specifically targeting the rescue workers saving people and the reporters documenting Russia's crimes in Ukraine and that the Russians have no reason not to keep doing this in the future.

Footage of Russia's second strike. Source: Serhiy Bolivanov, head of investigations at the Kharkiv Oblast National Police HQ

On the night of April 4, 2024, Russia mass struck Kharkiv and the oblast with Shaded drones. The Kharkiv Prosecutor's Office found the inscription "For the Crocus City Hall" on one of the drones.

In the recent months, the Russians struck the Kharkiv Palace Hotel, injuring a ZDF interpreter. On January 10, the Russians struck the Park Hotel, injuring the reporters with the Turkish news agency Anadolu, who were staying there. On January 23, a strike on downtown Kharkiv injured a journalist from the "Nakypilo" Media Group, who was on her way home from the office. During the same period, the offices of the Ukrainian Radio and "Suspilne Kharkiv" and the Objektyv Media Group newsroom were affected.