Ukraine says Russian general who ordered missile stike on Reuters employees
23/12/2024 6:09
Ukraine's security service has named
a Russian general it suspects of ordering a missile strike on a
hotel in eastern Ukraine in August and said he acted "with the
motive of deliberately killing employees of" Reuters.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement on
Friday that Colonel General Alexei Kim, a deputy chief of
Russia's General Staff, approved the strike that killed Reuters
safety adviser Ryan Evans and wounded two of the agency's
journalists on Aug. 24.
In a statement posted on Telegram messenger the SBU said it
was notifying Kim in absentia that he was an official suspect in
its investigation into the strike on the Sapphire Hotel in
Kramatorsk, a step in Ukrainian criminal proceedings that can
later lead to charges.
In a separate, 15-page notice of suspicion, in which the SBU
set out findings from its investigation, the agency said that
the decision to fire the missile was made "with the motive of
deliberately killing employees of the international news agency
Reuters who were engaged in journalistic activities in Ukraine".
The document, which was published on the website of the
General Prosecutor's Office on Friday, said that Kim had
received intelligence that Reuters staff were staying in
Kramatorsk. It added that Kim would have been "fully aware that
the individuals were civilians and not participating in the
armed conflict".
The Russian defence ministry did not respond to a request
for comment on the SBU's findings and has not replied to
previous questions about the attack. The Kremlin also did not
respond to a request for comment. Kim did not reply to messages
sent by Reuters to his mobile telephone seeking comment about
the SBU's statement and whether the strike deliberately targeted
Reuters staff.
The SBU did not provide evidence to support its claims, nor
say why Russia targeted Reuters. In response to questions from
the news agency, the security agency declined to provide further
details, saying its criminal investigation was still under way
and it was therefore not able to disclose such information.
Reuters has not independently confirmed any of the SBU's
claims.
Reuters said on Friday: "We note the news today from the
Ukrainian security services regarding the missile attack on
August 24, 2024, on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk, a civilian
target more than 20 km from Russian-occupied territory."
"The strike had devastating consequences, killing our safety
adviser, Ryan Evans, and injuring members of our editorial team.
We continue to seek more information about the attack. It is
critically important for journalists to be able to report freely
and safely," the statement said.
Reuters declined to comment further on the allegation that
its staff were deliberately targeted.
The SBU statement said Kim had been named a suspect under
two articles of the Ukrainian criminal code: waging an
aggressive war and violating the laws and customs of war.
"It was Kim who signed the directive and gave the combat
order to fire on the hotel, where only civilians were staying,"
it said.
Evans, a 38-year-old former British soldier who had worked
as a safety adviser for Reuters since 2022, was killed instantly
in the strike.
The SBU statement gave some details about how the strike had
occurred, according to its investigation.
"To carry out the attack, the Russian colonel general
involved one of his subordinate missile forces units," the
Ukrainian agency said, adding that the strike was carried out
with an Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The SBU did not identify the specific unit.
Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey, a videographer for the news agency who
was in a room across the corridor, was seriously wounded.
Kyiv-based text correspondent Dan Peleschuk was also injured.
The remaining three members of the Reuters team escaped with
minor cuts and scratches.
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