Ukrainian rescuers work at Saphire Hotel after a missile strike in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Photo by State Emergency Service of Ukraine/EPA-EFE
Aug. 25 (UPI) — A British security adviser for the Reuters news agency was killed and two journalists injured in a Russian missile strike on a hotel in eastern Ukraine on Saturday night, officials said. A six-person team from Reuters was staying at the Saphire Hotel while covering the war in Ukraine. Officials identified 40-year-old Ryan Evans as the man killed, a British citizen, CNN reported.
Two Reuters journalists are in the hospital being treated for serious injuries.
“We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families,” Reuters said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
“We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan’s family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly.”
Three other Reuters employees were safe and accounted for, the news agency said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident during his daily address Sunday.
“My condolences go out to the family and friends. This is a daily Russian terror that continues, because Russia has the ability to continue,” he said.
The Saphire Hotel is in the city of Kramatorsk under Ukrainian control and near Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said the hotel was struck by a Russian missile. Russia has not commented on the attack or accepted responsibility. Kramatorsk has been the scene of several attacks that have killed civilians, including one that took the life of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina.