The New York Times is reporting that two American journalists were recently shot in Ukraine as Russian attacks intensify.
The publication confirmed on Sunday (March 13) that one of the journalists, Brent Renaud, has died. “We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud’s death,” said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for The Times. “Brent was a talented filmmaker.”
Cliff Levy, deputy managing editor at The Times, took to Twitter to comment on the matter as well.
“The New York Times is deeply saddened to learn of the death of an American journalist in Ukraine, Brent Renaud. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker, but he was not on assignment for The New York Times in Ukraine,” Levy tweeted. “Brent’s death is a terrible loss. Brave journalists like Brent take tremendous risks to bear witness and to tell the world about the devastation and suffering caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”
The Times report was based on a statement from Kyiv Regional Police Chief Andriy Nebytov on Facebook. Nebytov stated that Renaud was shot and killed, while another journalist was shot and suffered injuries. Both men were reportedly struck with bullets in Irpin — just outside the capital of Kyiv.
“Of course, the profession of a journalist is a risk, but U.S. citizen Brent Renaud paid his life for trying to highlight the aggressor’s ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness,” Nebytov said in the Facebook post.
The Times reports that the other American journalist who was shot in Ukraine is named Juan Arredondo. He and Renaud were both Nieman Fellows at Harvard who graduated in 2019.
According to Okhmatdyt, the largest children’s hospital’s in Kyiv, the journalists were covering the evacuation of civilians in Irvin when the incident took place.
In an Instagram video on Okhmatdyt’s page, Arredondo shares more details from his hospital bed. “We were going to film other refugees leaving,” Arredondo explained. “We got into a car and somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us. So, the driver turned around and they kept shooting.”
Arredondo said Renaud was shot in the neck.
Several media outlets pulled journalists from covering Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine after Russian legislators and President Vladimir Putin passed a law criminalizing journalists who report news that opposes Russia’s agenda in Ukraine. The law, which was passed on March 4, carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
The United Nations believes at least 596 people — including 43 children — have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three weeks ago. Over 1,060 civilians — including 57 children— have been wounded as of Saturday (March 12) night.