British Safety Adviser Killed and Two Journalists Injured in Russian Strike in Eastern Ukraine

Ryan Evans, a British safety adviser working for the Reuters news agency, was killed, and two other journalists were injured in a Russian strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday night, according to CNN.

The Reuters news agency had a six-person team staying at the Hotel Sapphire to cover the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. A spokesperson for Reuters identified the deceased as Ryan Evans, a 38-year-old British citizen and former soldier who had been advising Reuters journalists on safety since 2022. Evans had previously worked with Reuters in Ukraine, Israel, and at the Paris Olympics.

In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, Reuters said, “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. 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.” The news agency added that two of its journalists were being treated in hospital, with one suffering serious injuries. Three other colleagues were reported to have sustained mild injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in his daily address on Sunday that British and American citizens were present in the hotel at the time of the strike. He expressed his condolences, stating, “My condolences go out to the family and friends. This is a daily Russian terror that continues, because Russia has the ability to continue.”

A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, “We are aware of reports of a British national missing in Ukraine and are seeking more information from the local authorities.” The U.S. State Department also confirmed that an American citizen was among those injured but did not provide further details.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, confirmed on Telegram that the deceased was a British citizen and that the injured journalists included citizens of Ukraine, the United States, Latvia, and Germany.

Kramatorsk has frequently been targeted by Russian shelling since the conflict began in February 2022. The city, one of the largest still under Ukrainian control in the besieged eastern region, has seen significant violence, including a deadly missile strike on a railway station in April last year that killed over 50 people, including several children. Human Rights Watch and SITU Research described that attack as “an apparent war crime.”