Oleksii Yurchenko, a cameraman with the Priamyi TV channel, was killed in the battle for Balakliia in the Kharkiv region on 8 September 2022.
Oleksii Yurchenko never had any specialized education, but he still always longed to be a cameraman. His curiosity, talent, and professionalism allowed him to participate in popular projects. Together with a UT-1 reporter, Oleksii had worked on a documentary about Stalinist concentration camps in Karaganda. He also was a member of the film crew of a documentary about Faina, the ship captured by Somali pirates in 2008. He worked on the Point Zero project concerning the ATO and was involved in making the Continent travel show for the 5 TV channel.
Since 2021, Yurchenko had been a cameraman with the Priamyi TV channel. His colleague, presenter Andrii Solomka, recalls their first experience of working together during a protest action in Kyiv:
“That day, I realized that Oleksii was not just a cameraman but a reliable professional. That was a difficult shoot: it lasted for several hours, late in the night. Then clashes began which usually meant being crushed, tear gas, and challenging working conditions altogether. Nevertheless, we managed to communicate and work as well and smoothly as possible.”
Andrii also notes that Oleksii always paid particular attention to details, which distinguished him greatly from other camerapeople. He always read press announcements before an assignment and tried to search for all information accessible, which resulted in creating high-quality materials with interesting angles and accomplished frame composition.
“He truly loved what he did; this is why his materials were always of such a good quality. Oleksii was extraordinarily responsible about his work and never complained about hard times or burning out,” says Andrii Solomka.
Apart from his work on TV, Oleksii Yurchenko performed combat missions in Maryinka and Pisky in the Donetsk region from 2015-2016. After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Oleksii earned the rank of officer and became a grenadier platoon commander shortly before his death.
The defender was 51 years old. He had a wife and a 13-year-old daughter.
