Lana Chornohorska

Lana Chornohorska was born in Zaporizhzhia on 13 September 1999.^[1] Around the age of 17, while already working as a journalist, she was noted by Ukrainian journalist Bohdan Lohvynenko for her assertive character; she was reportedly very demanding regarding the images taken by the journalism team, often being dissatisfied with the quality of the shots.^[1] A month later, she left her home to attend Book Forum Lviv; she then lived for a time at Lohvynenko's home in Kyiv, as he made his house available to her while he was away filming.^[1]

Chornohorska joined the anarchist and LGBTQIA+ movements; she described her activism as "a large part of her world".^[2][3][4] She was also an artist and pursued a career in journalism across several locations, including Kharkiv, Lviv, and Kyiv.^[2][3][5] She was particularly fond of Kharkiv, which she called the city of her heart.^[6] Chornohorska, who studied in Dnipro for a time, began working for the Ukrainian left-wing magazine Lyuk in 2020–2021, a publication based in Kharkiv.^[7]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she joined the Ukrainian Volunteer Army and became involved in both drone training and active drone combat duties.^[5][7][8] She was part of the Udachniki unit and was noted for often leading the most dangerous missions.^[8]

Two years later, on 1 January 2026, Chornohorska died at the front from a Russian drone strike. She was 26.^[7] Her funeral was held on 6 January.^[3][8] It was announced that her body would be repatriated for burial.^[8]

• Dmitry Petrov