British safety adviser Ryan Evans, 38, was killed late on August 24, 2024, in a missile strike that hit the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.
Two Reuters journalists, including camera operator Ivan Lubysh-Kirdey and another journalist whose name has not been disclosed, were also hospitalized for injuries. The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike were safe, Reuters said.
In addition, Polish journalist Monika Andruszewska was injured while driving nearby and posted photographs on Facebook of her damaged car and injuries to her arm and face.
A former British soldier, Evans had been working with Reuters since 2022. He advised the agency’s journalists on safety concerns around the world including in Ukraine, Israel, and at the Paris Olympics. [Made some tweaks to this graph so the wording isn’t almost identical to the Reuters story.]
“His guidance and professionalism were invaluable to so many of our journalists; we will miss him,” Reuters’ editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni said.
The Donetsk branch of the prosecutor’s office and President Volodymyr Zelensky said the hotel was struck by a Russian missile. The prosecutor’s office launched a pre-trial investigation into the attack under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Ukrainian criminal code for “violation of the laws and customs of war.”
Russia’s defense ministry did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.