Ukraine: RSF condemns Russian attack leaving two Reuters staff injured and one killed
A security advisor and two journalists from British news agency Reuters were hit by a Russian strike on their hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on 24 August at around 10:35 pm local time. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the attack and calls for a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.
“RSF condemns the death of Reuters security advisor Ryan Evans and is concerned about the health of his two journalist colleagues – one of whom is in a serious condition – who were injured by the same Russian missile strike. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. At this stage, we do not know whether the hotel was targeted because of the presence of the media. One thing is certain: since the beginning of the war, the Russian army has been deliberately attacking journalists and their crews to prevent them from reporting, in violation of international law. RSF is calling for a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Ryan Evans is the 12th media worker killed in the line of duty in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. He died in a Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk on the night of Saturday, 24 August. The 38-year-old former British soldier, had been working since 2022 to ensure the safety of Reuters journalists around the world.
Two of his colleagues hit by the same strike are still hospitalised: American journalist Dan Peleschuk and Ukrainian cameraman Ivan Liubysh-Kyrdey. The latter has already undergone several operations and is in a critical condition in a hospital in Dnipro, according to RSF’s information. The other three members of the team present at the hotel were unharmed.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than 100 Ukrainian and international journalists have been victims of violence. RSF has already filed eight complaints of war crimes with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as two complaints with the French courts.
