France: Arman Soldin esplanade inaugurated in Vichy in tribute to French journalist killed in Ukraine
On 7 May 2025, the French journalists’ unions (SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes) took part in the inauguration of the esplanade at the Pôle Universitaire de Vichy, named Arman Soldin, in tribute to the French-Bosnian journalist killed two years ago in Ukraine.
A 32-year-old video journalist, Arman Soldin was one of the first AFP correspondents to enter Ukraine after the Russian invasion on 25 February 2022, regularly visiting the front lines in the east and south. He was killed on 9 May 2023 in a bombardment near Chasiv Yar, in eastern Ukraine.
From Croatia, Maja Sever, President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), sent a message of solidarity in honour of Arman and all journalists killed on the battlefield: “I started my career as a war reporter in Croatia. I know what the risks and duties of journalists are. It’s absolutely essential for journalists to be able to go into conflict zones and report on what’s going on. Information is a public good. It is a right for our societies.”
“Young people need to be aware of the need for journalism in our democracies. There have been journalism students here at this university for more than a decade. Honoring the memory of this young colleague is also a symbol for these young people, whom we need so much,” said Pablo Aiquel, General Secretary of the SNJ-CGT and member of the EFJ Steering Committee.
The President of the Ukrainian Journalists’ Union (NUJU), Sergiy Tomilenko, also expressed his gratitude to the town of Vichy for this symbol: “The inauguration of a square bearing the name of Arman Soldin in Vichy, is an important step in preserving the legacy of journalists who fell in the exercise of their profession in Ukraine. This recognition reflects the deep respect we have for those who risk everything to make the truth known.”
The mother, sister and brother of the Franco-Bosnian journalist were present to receive condolences on behalf of the profession in France and Europe, and to unveil the plaque with the new name for the esplanade.
A double symbol for the spa town, the esplanade is located in front of the university complex that hosts the Bachelors of Technology (BUT), a three-year diploma in information-communication and journalism, and just a few hundred meters from the birthplace of Albert Londres, the great reporter of the 20th century, whose heiress bequeathed her legacy to the prize that each year rewards the best French-language reporting by young people under 30.
Vichy “measures the price of truth: it’s the town of Albert Londres”, who wanted to “take the pen to the wound”. It is also, “tragically, the town where the Republic was buried on July 10, 1940. We don’t forget, and we know that authoritarian regimes start by muzzling the press”, stressed the spa town’s mayor, Frédéric Aguiléra.
