Journalist killed in Ukraine given top French honour

France has posthumously awarded its highest order of merit – the Legion d'Honneur – to  AFP video journalist Arman Soldin, killed two months ago in Ukraine. 

A photograph taken on July 8, 2023 shows a tribute portrait of Soldin, killed near Bakhmut in May this year, AFP - GENYA SAVILOV

Soldin was killed in a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine in May. He was 32.

His death sparked an outpouring of sympathy and tributes from across the world.

France's President Emmanuel Macron hailed Soldin's "bravery" in a letter sent to France's AFP news agency in May.

"Through his strength of character, his journey and his drive, Arman Soldin embodied your editorial staff's passion – a passion to convey the truth, tell stories and gather testimonies. It was a passion for a cause: the duty to inform," he said. 

Soldin was given the chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by a presidential decree issued on Thursday.

"We are moved and touched by this award for Arman," said Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director. "It honours his superb journalism and helps to keep his memory alive."

Soldin snaps a selfie with a cat on his shoulder during an assignment for AFP in Ukraine. AFP - ARMAN SOLDIN

'Camera in hand'

Soldin was killed on 9 May after he was hit by rocket fire near the besieged city of Bakhmut, He was part of a team of journalists that came under attack while with Ukrainian soldiers.

The rest of the AFP team survived unharmed.

Bakhmut was an epicentre of fighting at the time, and targeted daily by Russian forces. 

Soldin died "with his camera in his hand", journalist Emmanuel Peuchot said.

French prosecutors have opened a war crimes investigation into his death.

Arman Soldin in Ukraine, with cat. via REUTERS - BULENT KILIC/AFP

Born in Bosnia, but a French national, Soldin had volunteered to be part of the first AFP team to be sent to Ukraine following Russia's invasion on 24 February 2022. He had lived there since September.

He said he was drawn to telling stories of people displaced by fighting, stemming from his family's own experience fleeing conflict.

As an child, he escaped the fighting in Bosnia with his family, taking a humanitarian flight to France on 25 April, 1992.

At least 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in Ukraine since the war began on 24 February, 2022, according to figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

The Legion of Honour, introduced by Napoleon Bonaporte in 1802, is France's highest decoration for people who have distinguished themselves through civilian or military valour. 

(with AFP)