Russian drone attacks vehicle near front line, injuring members of WELT film crew

Bild Telegram channel reported this in a post, according to Ukrinform.

WELT's chief reporter, Ibrahim Naber, was working near the front line while accompanying a Ukrainian air defense unit from the 42nd Brigade.

While the crew was filming in an open field, a Russian Lancet drone struck a nearby military vehicle.

As a result, one soldier was killed and another was seriously wounded. Three members of Naber's reporting team were also injured. Naber was working alongside cameraman Viktor and producer Ivan.

"Ivan was hit by two pieces of shrapnel in his legs. One of them is lodged so deeply that doctors have not yet been able to remove it. But they say he will be able to walk again," Naber told his colleague, Bild editor-in-chief Paul Ronzheimer.

Viktor and Naber himself fortunately suffered only "minor injuries" — temporary hearing loss and bruises that required several days of recovery.

Naber described how drones have changed war reporting, saying that even 10–12 kilometers from the front line has now become a "death zone": "Drones can hit you anywhere, anytime."

He recalled the battles in Bakhmut: "I remember that in February 2023 we could accompany Ukrainian troops just 2–2.5 kilometers from Russian positions — in the city, in broad daylight. That's impossible now. Within five minutes, the first kamikaze drones would arrive."

As Ukrinform previously reported, near Druzhkivka in Donetsk region, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed by a Russian FPV drone strike, and Ukrainian journalist George Ivanchenko was wounded.

Photo: BILD / Telegram