Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine, was killed and two Reuters journalists were wounded in an attack on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency reported on August 25.
Evans, who worked as a security adviser for the agency, was killed after a missile hit the Sapphire Hotel where he was staying as part of a six-person team on Saturday, Reuters said in a statement.
Two of the agency's journalists are being treated in hospital, and one of them is seriously injured, the agency reported.
"We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with authorities in Kramatorsk, and are supporting our colleagues and their families," Reuters said.
Evans, a former British soldier, has worked with Reuters since 2022 and has advised its journalists on security issues around the world, including in Ukraine, Israel and the Paris Olympics. He was 38 years old.
"We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly," Reuters said.
The other three members of the agency's team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike have been located and are safe, the agency said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile, a ballistic missile that can strike at a distance of up to 500 km.
"An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander," he said in his evening address on Sunday, adding that the strike was "absolutely targeted, deliberate ... my condolences to the family and friends of the victims."
The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Reuters could not verify whether the missile that hit the hotel was fired from Russia or was a targeted strike on the building. | BGNES
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