On Saturday night, a Russian missile strike hit the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, resulting in the death of Ryan Evans, a 38-year-old British safety adviser for Reuters news agency. Two other Reuters journalists were injured in the attack, one of them seriously. The six-person Reuters crew had been staying at the hotel as part of their coverage of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Reuters confirmed Evans’ death on Sunday, stating that he had been working with the agency since 2022, advising journalists on safety in conflict zones around the world, including Ukraine. Evans was a former British soldier who had also worked in Israel and at the Paris Olympics. In a statement, Reuters expressed deep condolences to Evans’ family and colleagues, noting that he had “helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world.”
The missile that struck the hotel was identified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an “Iskander” short-range ballistic missile, a weapon capable of reaching distances up to 500 kilometers. Zelensky condemned the attack, describing it as a deliberate and calculated strike by Russian forces. The Ukrainian leader added that the day following the strike was spent clearing rubble, with seven people injured in addition to Evans’ death.
Ukrainian and international officials confirmed that the injured journalists include citizens from Ukraine, the United States, Latvia, and Germany. The U.S. State Department acknowledged that an American citizen was among those injured but did not release further details. Emergency services in Kramatorsk worked through the night to recover victims and assess the damage caused by the strike.
Kramatorsk, located in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Russian missile strikes since the conflict began. It remains one of the largest cities still under Ukrainian control in the region. Previous attacks on Kramatorsk include a missile strike on its railway station in April 2022, which killed more than 50 people and was labeled an “apparent war crime” by Human Rights Watch.
The Reuters team on the ground managed to file video footage of the aftermath, showing extensive damage to the hotel, including destroyed rooms and a partially collapsed roof. Ukrainian emergency services were seen combing through the rubble in search of survivors.
Two @Reuters journalists wounded in a Russian strike on the Sapphire hotel in Kramatorsk, in the Donbas. One more journalist is under the debris, search in progress. According to Donetsk Prosecutor’s Office, this is a result of an Iskander-M strike pic.twitter.com/YbpNXHF9NW
— Mediazona English (@mediazona_en) August 25, 2024
The attack on the Hotel Sapphire highlights the continuing dangers faced by journalists and support staff covering the war in Ukraine. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported a significant increase in the number of journalists killed globally in 2023 and 2024, making it one of the deadliest periods for the profession in decades. The ongoing violence underscores the severe risks that reporters face while covering conflicts around the world.
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