A CAMERAMAN FOR Fox News, Pierre Zakrzewski, has been killed in Ukraine, the US network has confirmed.
Zakrzewski, an Irish citizen, and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova were killed and their colleague Benjamin Hall was wounded when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, on Monday.
In a statement, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski. Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine.”
“Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for FOX News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us. His passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.”
Scott said Oleksandra was 24 years old and was serving as a consultant for Fox News in Ukraine.
“She was helping our crews navigate Kyiv and the surrounding area while gathering information and speaking to sources. She was incredibly talented.”
“Several of our correspondents and producers spent long days with her reporting the news and got to know her personally, describing her as hard-working, funny, kind and brave. Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he is “deeply disturbed and saddened” by Pierre’s death.
“My thoughts are with their families, friends and fellow journalists. We condemn this indiscriminate and immoral war by Russia on Ukraine,” he said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Six One News, Martin offered his “deepest sympathies” to Pierre’s family, and called his killing “an attack on journalism”.
We owe it to the world of journalism for shining a life on Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine, and some very, very brave journalists across the world are in Ukraine to show us and illustrate what is happening, and unfortunately, an Irish citizen, Pierre Zakrzewski, has lost his life in pursuit of a very noble service to humankind.
“We salute his courage in doing what he has done so many times before, and his colleagues. Our thoughts and our prayers are with his family back in Ireland, and we want them to know that we are fully in solidarity with them at this very dark time for them as a family in their personal loss,” he said.
Martin said it reflects, more broadly, a “humanitarian outrage being perpetrated by the leadership of Vladimir Putin on the people of Ukraine”.
“The bombardment of cities and of civilians, in a premeditated, deliberate way, is a war crime. There’s no question about that.”
President Michael D Higgins offered his “deepest sympathies” to Pierre’s family.
He said: “The indiscriminate killing of civilians, including journalists, must be brought to an end.”
I don’t know what to say. Pierre was as good as they come. Selfless. Brave. Passionate. I’m so sorry this happened to you. pic.twitter.com/IvxlPWGDAl
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) March 15, 2022
RIP Pierre and Sasha. From our last correspondence:
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) March 15, 2022
I will effort to get as much of this on TV to help Ukrainians in every way possible. Keep Smiling.
Pierre pic.twitter.com/StinVdSfFK
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Pierre’s tragic death.
Coveney confirmed that DFA officials are in touch with Pierre’s family and providing consular assistance.
“The killing of all citizens through this reckless war is deplorable, and I also wish to strongly condemn the targeting of journalists who have been working bravely to shine a light on the plight of Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities,” Coveney said in a statement.
“Ireland once again calls on Russia to bring an end to this war and we stand ready to support any initiative which can deliver peace. We will continue to demand accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Hall, a Briton who works as the network’s State Department correspondent, remains hospitalized in Ukraine, Scott said.
Pierre, who was based in London, had been working in Ukraine since February.
On Sunday, a US journalist was shot dead and another wounded in Irpin, a frontline suburb of Kyiv that has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Video documentary maker Brent Renaud, 50, was working for Time Studios on a project about global refugee issues, the media outlet said.
The International Federation of Journalists identified the wounded journalist as American photographer Juan Arredondo.
A Ukrainian who had been in the same car as the Americans was also wounded, according to a medic at the scene.
With reporting from © AFP 2022
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