Deaths of Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin

After the event, the Russian prosecutors charged Ukrainian army aviation helicopter pilot Nadiya Savchenko (sometimes transliterated as Nadezhda) for assisting in the deaths of Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin. Despite having an alibi (she was captured by the rebels one hour before the mortar attack occurred according to billing data of mobile phones), she is accused of informing Ukrainian Forces of the location of the journalists. A guilty verdict was delivered 20 March 2016, and she was sentenced the next day to 22 years. On 25 May 2016, the Ukrainian and Russian governments exchanged prisoners, and Savchenko was released and flown to Kyiv while two Russian prisoners held in Ukrainian prison were released to Russia.

On 17 June 2014, Russian state television correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were victims of a mortar strike launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Metalist, Slovianoserbsk Raion, Ukraine, while travelling with a group of LPR rebel separatist fighters during the ongoing war in Donbass. They were killed in the attack, along with five rebels. Cameraman Viktor Denisov was not injured in the attack.

After the attack by Ukrainian Forces, Igor Kornelyuk was taken to Luhansk Regional Hospital by pro-Russian separatists. At the hospital Igor was diagnosed with having shrapnel wounds to the abdomen, legs and burns to the face. Igor would die only after 35 minutes in the emergency room. Igor Kornelyuk died on 17 June 2014 in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. Igor Kornelyuk is survived by his wife Catherine Kornelyuk and their young daughter. Family and friends gathered in Moscow to pay final respects to Kornelyuk.

Anton Voloshin was killed, 17 June 2014, at the scene of the mortar attack in Metalist, Slovianoserbsk Raion, Ukraine. At first Voloshin was presumed missing, until body remains were later identified by Viktor Denisov, a VGTRK cameraman who was not harmed in the attack.

Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, on 19 June 2014, denounced the killing of Russian journalist Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin. Bokova said, "I am deeply shocked by the death of journalists Igor Kornelyuk, and Anton Voloshin. I call on all parties to respect the civilian status of journalists and let them carry out their important professional activities in safe conditions in keeping with the Geneva Convention and its Protocols."

Igor Kornelyuk graduated from the Institute of Culture in St. Petersburg. Since 1998 he worked as a correspondent in "Yamal" and was a leader on the editorial board of children's programs. Kornelyuk was employed as correspondent for Russia state-owned broadcaster VGTRK, and spent a total of 15 years with VGTRK. Kornelyuk worked alongside Anton Voloshin, reporting on events taking place during the pro-Russian conflict in Eastern Ukraine.