Ryan Evans, a British security adviser for Reuters news agency, has been identified as the man killed in a missile attack on the Hotel Sapphire in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, according to The Independent.
The incident took place on Saturday, 24 August, when Evans was at the hotel as part of a six-person team covering the war in Ukraine. Evans, 38, was a former British soldier who had served with the agency since 2022. He died when an alleged Russian Iskander missile struck the hotel on Saturday.
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.
Two Reuters journalists also suffered injuries in the attack, one seriously wounded. The US State Department confirmed that an American citizen was among the injured.
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.
Evans had vast experience advising journalists on security issues in conflict zones, including Ukraine and Israel. He also covered the Paris Olympics.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the missile attack “deliberate” and “calculated” and condemned the attack on the hotel.
An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander [missile]. My condolences to family and friends.
Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the discovery of a body under the rubble. All other members of the Reuters team are safe.
However, journalists from other media outlets questioned why Reuters had allocated such a large team, consisting of six journalists and one security adviser. Critics also suggested that the crew could have been military specialists disguised as Reuters journalists, referring to the death of former British soldier Evans.
