Today at 01:04
FREEДОМ correspondent Oleksandr Kolychev, who was seriously wounded while carrying out his professional duties during a Russian strike on Kramatorsk, will receive one-time financial assistance from the state.
The payment is provided within the framework of state support for media workers affected by Russian aggression and amounts to 50 subsistence minimums in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.
Kolychev was injured on October 23, 2025, when a Russian Lancet drone struck a vehicle carrying a FREEДОМ film crew at the site of a previous attack. The strike killed war correspondent Olena Hramova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin.
The journalist sustained multiple shrapnel wounds, fractures, and burns, underwent several surgeries, and spent a long time in critical condition. He is now undergoing a complex rehabilitation process and gradually returning to daily life.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the team had been covering events in the Donetsk region, documenting war crimes and reporting on Ukrainian defenders.
The attack in Kramatorsk became one of the most high-profile crimes against media workers during the war. Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating the killing and injuries of the crew as a war crime.
The decision to grant financial aid was made by an interagency commission involving representatives of government institutions and media organizations.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Hramova, Karmazin, and Kolychev state honors for their contribution to defending truth and freedom of speech. Hramova and Karmazin were also posthumously awarded a national prize for the protection of press freedom.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset honored their courage and reaffirmed commitment to truth, justice, and press freedom.
