Ukrainian intelligence has released new information about the deadly Russian attack in Kramatorsk that killed Reuters security instructor Ryan Evans and injured two journalists. This was an important step in the investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy, highlighting the dangers journalists face during conflict.
Ukrainian intelligence agencies shared with the agency previously unknown details about the Aug. 24 attack, Voice of America reported. They said the missile was launched from a location near Taganrog, a Russian city on the coast of the Sea of Azov near the Ukrainian border.
The Iskander 9M723 missile was launched by Russian forces stationed in the southern border region of Rostov, the agency reports. It hit the Sapphire Hotel, where the Reuters team was staying, 7 minutes after launch and 3 minutes after the Ukrainian Air Force issued a threat notification.
Two Russian units were operating near the launch site at that time: the 1st Guards Missile Brigade of the 49th Army and the 107th Guards Missile Brigade of the 35th Army.
In response to a request from Reuters, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that there was also a third unit near Taganrog that could strike: the 47th Missile Brigade of the 8th Army.
According to the General Staff, this missile has an accuracy of up to 30 meters from the intended target. Russia continues to insist that it "strikes only objects directly or indirectly related to military infrastructure."
Reuters sent a written request for comment to the commander of the 107th Russian Brigade, but did not receive a response, and the phone call was interrupted as soon as the journalist introduced herself.
The commander of another brigade, Vitaly Bobir, initially exchanged messages with the Reuters correspondent on the Telegram platform, but when he was told about the essence, he wrote that it was the wrong number.
Evans, 38, a former British soldier who has worked as a Reuters security instructor since 2022, died instantly on impact. According to the reports of the family, severely wounded videographer Ivan Lyubish-Kirdei has come out of a coma, but still has not regained consciousness.
Anastasia Medvedeva, a spokeswoman for the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office, said prosecutors are also considering the possibility that Russia deliberately targeted the group of journalists.
According to the owner of the hotel Yuriy Aliyev, after the invasion of Russia in February 2022, the hotel was open only for journalists.
Reuters refuted the statement of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who claimed that Evans was a former employee of Britain's foreign intelligence agency MI6.
Polish journalist Monika Andruszewska also suffered minor injuries while in a car outside the hotel during the attack, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported.
