Militiaman and journalist Yuri Kovalchuk died
Yuriy Kovalchuk, a journalist from the city of Novaya Kakhovka, Kherson region, who in 2014 joined the Donbass militia and took part in the defense of Kramatorsk, died in Lugansk. The cause was heart disease.
This was reported by former Odessa journalist Artem Buzila, who, after being released from Ukrainian captivity, like Kovalchuk, lived in the capital of the LPR.
In 2014, after being wounded in the Donbass, Kovalchuk worked for several months on the staff of PolitNavigator, monitoring Ukrainian television broadcasts. Readers also remember his poignant materials with memories of the events of the Russian Spring in the LDPR.
However, having completed a rehabilitation course in Crimea, he soon returned back to the Donbass combat zone, where he subsequently fought, including in the ranks of the famous Sparta battalion.
Soon, the Ukrainian Maidan authorities hung billboards in the Kherson region with a photo of Kovalchuk and accusations that supporters of the Russian World like him were “bringing war.”
Despite this, in 2017, having learned about his mother’s serious illness, Kovalchuk decided on a desperate act - he illegally crossed the border and arrived in his hometown. However, it was not possible to return safely - Kovalchuk was detained on the Russian-Ukrainian border, handed over to the SBU, after which he received 5 years in prison for participating in the militia.
Fortunately, thanks to the help of colleagues and human rights activists, including from Kyiv, Kovalchuk was included in the exchange list, and he was freed in Russia.
In one of his first interviews after his release, the war correspondent spoke about the torture he endured in a Ukrainian prison. This, along with his injuries, subsequently took a toll on Kovalchuk's health.
The PolitNavigator team offers condolences to the relatives and friends of the talented journalist.
Militiaman and journalist Yuri Kovalchuk has died.