Reuters Safety Advisor Killed in Eastern Ukraine

Improve the News Foundation -
0:00
/1861

Facts

  • Ryan Evans, a safety advisor for the Reuters news agency, was killed after a missile struck a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Saturday. The city is roughly 12 miles (20 km) from the frontlines in Donetsk.[1]
  • Evans, a 38-year-old former British soldier who worked with Reuters since 2022, was part of a six-man team staying at the Hotel Sapphire, the agency said, adding that two additional members of staff were taken to hospital with their injuries — one of them seriously injured.[2]
  • Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he offered condolences to friends and family, alleging that the hotel was deliberately struck by a Russian Iskander missile. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. In its reporting, Reuters said it could not independently confirm it was a Russian missile or that the hotel was struck deliberately.[2]
  • Russian and Ukrainian attacks have continued since. On Sunday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said five civilians were killed and 12 were injured in overnight Ukrainian shelling of the region.[3]
  • Meanwhile, on Monday, 15 Ukrainian regions were reportedly affected by Russian missile and drone attacks, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, said. At least five civilians were reported killed.[4]
  • The attacks struck energy infrastructure in a number of regions, including in Kyiv, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, and Vinnytsia. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy provider, said emergency shutdowns were in place across the country.[4]

Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Reuters, [3]TASS and [4]The Kyiv Independent.

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Russian terror attacks continue to target Ukrainian civilians, as well as the country's energy facilities. Ukraine needs permission to use long-range weapons on Russian territory so it can take out Russia's ability to conduct attacks of this nature.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are a direct consequence of the failure of the country's leadership to meaningfully engage in peace talks and thinking they can defeat Russia on the battlefield. These attacks will stop once a more sober position is reached.

Predictions