Award-winning journalist and soldier Alla Pushkarchuk killed by Russian missile strike

The Ukrainian journalist, editor, and soldier Alla Pushkarchuk was killed by a Russian missile strike. She died not far from the frontline on April 25th.

During the Revolution of Dignity, she joined the Right Sector and later served on the frontline as part of their information department, documenting events through writing and photography. Following the full-scale invasion, she enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces alongside her boyfriend, who later became her husband.

In 2021, Alla Pushkarchuk applied for the position of news editor at Chytomo. She was selected among 140 applicants for this role. Alla had been working with us for six months. At Chytomo, she also coordinated the #EmptyChairPeople, a project devoted to the political-author prisoners. Several interviews are available in English.

After the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Pushkarchuk became one of the soldiers and volunteers whom Chytomo interviewed for the “Words and Bullets” project.

From 2014 to 2018, she worked as a journalist and photographer in the 5th Separate Battalion of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. After her demobilization, she held positions as a journalist and news editor at Ukrainsky Tyzhden (Ukrainian Week) magazine from 2018 to 2020, and as a PR specialist at Komora Publishing House from 2019 to 2020.

Her report “Right Turn” was among the top 10 finalists of the “Eyewitness” report contest in 2016. In 2017, her series of war photos was among the winners of the XIX International Photo Contest by the Den newspaper (The Day, Ukraine).

While Pushkarchuk didn’t have much opportunity to write while at the front — she explained in her interview that she was often too tired and emotionally drained — she still kept more than 20 books with her and had hopes of one day opening a bookstore after the war.

“In the future, I dream of founding a bookstore that would be similar to my library with all these visible, intertwining connections. I live with this thought, imagining its realization more and more precisely. I still have a bit of time to think it over properly while the war is still going on,” she said.

The loss of Alla Pushkarchuk, a talented journalist, editor, and soldier, has deeply saddened our editorial team. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Copy Editing: Terra Friedman King