Security advisor killed and two injured

A Russian attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine on Saturday evening killed Reuters news agency's British security adviser Ryan Evans and injured two other journalists.

Reuters had hosted a team of six at the Sapphire hotel, part of its team covering the war in Ukraine. A spokesman for the news agency identified the deceased security adviser as Ryan Evans, a British national who was assigned to the reporting team in Ukraine.

The news agency added that two of its journalists were being treated in hospital, one of them for serious injuries. “We are urgently seeking more information about the attack and are also working with the authorities in Kramatorsk to do so. We are supporting our colleagues and their families. We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly,” the statement said on Sunday afternoon.

Evans, 38, a former British soldier, has worked for Reuters since 2022, advising the agency's journalists on security issues around the world, including in Ukraine, Israel and the Paris Olympics.

Three other colleagues were missing and suffered minor injuries, the agency added.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his daily address on Sunday that British and American citizens were staying at the hotel in Kramatorsk. He added: “My condolences go out to the family and friends. This is daily Russian terror that continues because Russia has the ability to endure.”

A spokesman for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are aware of reports of a British national killed in Ukraine and are appealing to local authorities for further information.”

The US State Department also confirmed that a US citizen was among the injured, but did not identify the person.

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said that among the injured journalists were “citizens of Ukraine, the United States, Latvia and Germany.” He confirmed on Telegram on Sunday morning that the deceased was a British citizen.

Kramatorsk in particular has been a frequent target of Russian shelling since the conflict began in February 2022. It remains one of the largest cities under Ukrainian control in the besieged east of the country.

In April last year, Russian forces used a rocket to attack a railway station in Kramatorsk that was being used as a shelter for civilians fleeing the fighting. The attack killed more than 50 people, including several children. Human Rights Watch and SITU Research called the attack a “blatant war crime.”

(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)

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