Brit Reuters employee, 38, 'killed by Russian airstrike' which levelled hotel in eastern Ukraine

25 August 2024, 21:47 | Updated: 25 August 2024, 22:20

A British citizen has been killed by a Russian airstrike which hit a hotel in eastern Ukraine.
A British citizen has been killed by a Russian airstrike which hit a hotel in eastern Ukraine. Picture: Reuters/Alamy

By Chay Quinn

A British employee of the Reuters news agency has been killed by a Russian airstrike which hit a hotel in eastern Ukraine.

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Reuters has confirmed that safety advisor Ryan Evans, 38, was killed on Saturday in the missile strike.

The missile attack strike the Hotel Sapfir in Kramatorsk as Ukraine celebrated the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union.

Former soldier Evans was found underneath the rubble on Sunday.

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Reuters said that two journalists are in hospital and three others have been accounted for.

Former soldier Evans was found underneath the rubble on Sunday.
Former soldier Evans was found underneath the rubble on Sunday. Picture: Reuters/Ryan Evans
A woman walks with her dog in front of the Sapphire hotel which was destroyed by a Russian rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
The missile attack strike the Hotel Sapfir in Kramatorsk as Ukraine celebrated the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. Picture: Alamy

Six people have been confirmed to be wounded after the attack.

"Rescuers found the body of a deceased person under the rubble," said the head of the Kramatorsk city military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko.

A Reuters statement said: "We are devastated to learn that Reuters safety advisor Ryan Evans, who was with our reporting team in Ukraine, has been killed.

"Ryan was part of a Reuters crew staying at Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, when it was hit in a missile strike on Saturday, August 24, 2024.

A firefighter collects fragments of a rocket after a Russian strike on Sapphire hotel in Kram
Six people have been confirmed to be wounded after the attack. Picture: Alamy

"Two of our journalists are in hospital; one is being treated for serious injuries. Three other colleagues have been accounted for and are safe.

"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 keep so many of our journalists safe as they covered events around the world. He was a dear colleague and friend, and we will miss him terribly.