Russian missile strike kills Reuters' safety adviser, injures 2 journalists in Ukraine

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) – A British safety adviser for Reuters was killed and two journalists were injured when a Russian missile struck a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday night, the news agency confirmed late Sunday.

Ryan Evans, 38, a former British soldier who provided security for Reuters journalists, was among those killed in the attack.

Evans and five other team members of Reuters were staying at the hotel when it was hit by a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile, according to local officials.

Two other Reuters journalists were injured and hospitalized, one of whom was in critical condition. The three remaining colleagues were confirmed safe.

Reuters said in a message: "We are urgently seeking more information about the attack," and extended its condolences to Evans' family and loved ones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately targeting the hotel, calling the strike a "calculated" act.

"Today in Kramatorsk, the entire day was spent clearing the rubble after a Russian missile strike," Zelenskyy wrote on X, noting that Reuters journalists were among those injured.

Governor Vadym Filashkin of the Donetsk region initially announced on Sunday that seven people were killed and 15 injured in three different districts, including Kramatorsk, where two people were injured.

Later, Filashkin declared that the number of those injured in Kramatorsk had increased to four, indicating they were all journalists working for Reuters who were injured when a missile struck the hotel in the district's administrative center.

In a statement issued on Sunday on X, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi urged the international community to condemn such attacks.

Later, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office announced that it has launched an investigation into the attack.