Serhiy Vladyslavovych Nikolayev (; 14 February 1972 – 28 February 2015) was a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
photojournalist for the Ukrainian daily newspaper ''
Segodnya
''Segodnya'' ( rus, Сегодня, p=sʲɪˈvodʲnʲə, t=Today, a=Ru-сегодня.ogg) was a Russian-language Ukrainian tabloid newspaper founded in 1997. While run from Kyiv, it was linked to Donbass political and business groups; its hol ...
'' in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...
. He was killed when caught in the shelling or crossfire at
Pisky Pisky ( uk, Піски, , sands, link=no) may refer to several places in Ukraine:
*Pisky, Chernihiv Oblast, village in Nizhyn Raion
*Pisky, Donetsk Oblast, a village near Donetsk International Airport
*, a village in Bashtanka Raion
*Pisky, Lviv R ...
, East Ukraine.
Personal
Serhiy lived in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, Ukraine. He graduated from
Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture
The Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (informally referred to as KNUCA) – better known under its former name Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute – is the largest and most important building and architectural university ...
in 1993 and was a member of the
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Structure
There is ...
of Ukraine. Serhiy Nikolayev's only daughter is Valeriya Kravchuk, who was born in 1995.
Career
Serhiy was a photojournalist for ''Segodnya'' since April 2008. Georgia, Libya, Somalia, and Syria were other sites Serhiy covered during his career. He focused on war and its impact on children. In 2013, he held an exhibition called "A Childhood not for Children."
Euromaidan
Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...
" event in Kyiv on 1 December 2013.
Nikolayev was killed in crossfire while covering fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in the village of Pisky on the outskirts of
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...
on 28 February 2015. Pisky is located just 1.5 kilometers away from Donetsk airport. He was there with colleague Bogdan Rossinsky, Rossinsky was non-lethally wounded and Serhiy suffered serious injuries. The injury was caused by a fragment of a shell. Serhiy arrived alive at Krasnoarmiysk hospital in Donetsk, but his injuries were fatal and he died. He was wearing a bulletproof vest marked as "Press" at the scene. Nikolay (or Mykola) Flerko, a volunteer in
Right Sector
Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist org ...
battalion was also declared dead from the shell.
The police in Krasnoarmeysk (now
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk (russian: Покро́вск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
Modern localities
;Urban localities
* Pokrovsk, Sakha Republic, a town under republic jurisdiction in Khangalassky District of the Sakha Republic
;R ...
) are investigating the incident as a deliberate homicide.
Context
The conflict, between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian military, arose after former Ukraine President
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of D ...
's departure in March 2014. Russian President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime m ...
ordered the invasion of Ukraine and the occupation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula with the pretext to "protect ethnic Russians living there." Russia continues supplying separatists and maintaining an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government.
A ceasefire stopping the shelling and pulling back heavy weapons was issued on 15 February 2015. However, on 28 February 2015, Russian-supported separatists violated the ceasefire by recommencing their shelling attacks.
Impact
Both sides (pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops) were blamed for the death.
Petro Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...
, president of Ukraine, submitted a bill to parliament for the United Nations peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire. Both government troops and separatists agreed to the continuation of withdrawing heavy weapons.
Reactions
Irina Bokova
Irina Georgieva Bokova ( bg, Ирина Георгиева Бокова; born 12 July 1952) is a Bulgarian politician and the former Director-General of UNESCO (2009–2017). During her political and diplomatic career in Bulgaria, she served ...
, director-general of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
, said, "I condemn the killing of Sergii Nikolaiev. I call on all in Ukraine to ensure the safety of media workers."
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
issued the following statement, "We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of this talented photographer, who was the seventh media professional to be killed while covering the conflict in eastern Ukraine."
The Russian Union of Journalists' release said, "...shocked by this new tragedy, the murder of Ukrainian photographer Sergii Nikolaiev. We believe that we can work together in an investigation on all the killings of journalists and media workers in the region. The perpetrators and masterminds behind these attacks should be brought to justice."
Olga Guk, editor-in-chief of ''Segodnya'', said, "He would go with his camera into the fire so that he could show life as it happened. He did not spare himself. He was the bravest of professionals." President
Petro Poroshenko
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...
appointed a scholarship for Serhiy's daughter Valeriya Kravchuk.
2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine
The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...