Lana Chornohorska
Lana Chornohorska, nicknamed Sati, was a Ukrainian journalist, artist and queer anarchist. She contributed to the left-wing magazine Lyuk in Kharkiv, participated in the Ukrainian anarchist movement and engaged in the country's queer struggles. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she joined the Ukrainian army as a drone operator and was killed by a Russian drone strike.
Life and career
Lana Chornohorska was born in Zaporizhzhia on 13 September 1999. 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. 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.Chornohorska joined the anarchist and LGBTQIA+ movements; she described her activism as "a large part of her world". She was also an artist and pursued a career in journalism across several locations, including Kharkiv, Lviv, and Kyiv. She was particularly fond of Kharkiv, which she called the city of her heart. 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.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she joined the Ukrainian army as a volunteer and became involved in both drone training and active drone combat duties. She was part of the Udachniki unit and was noted for often leading the most dangerous missions.
Two years later, on 1 January 2026, Chornohorska died at the front from a Russian drone strike. She was 26. Her funeral was held on 6 January. It was announced that her body would be repatriated for burial.