Serhiy Nikolayev: First Ukrainian photographer killed in the Donbas

Editor’s Note: This story is part of a special project by the Kyiv Post, “Dying for Truth,” a series of stories documenting violence against journalists in Ukraine. Since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, more than 50 journalists have been killed across Ukraine. Most of the crimes have been poorly investigated, and the killers remain unpunished. The project is supported by the Justice for Journalists Foundation and Reporters Without Borders. Content is independent of the donor. All the stories in the series can be found here.

Serhiy Nikolayev was the first Ukrainian journalist to be killed on the front line while covering Russia’s war against Ukraine. He was a war photographer who covered conflicts in Iran, Somalia and Georgia. On Feb. 28, 2015, he was wounded by shell fragments in the village of Pisky in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. He died in Krasnoarmiysk hospital later that day.