A Ukrainian journalist was killed when a vehicle carrying a Fox News cameraman was struck by gunfire while the group was reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war on March 14.
Oleksandra Kuvshinova, 24, was helping Fox crews navigate Kyiv and nearby areas, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott told staff members in a note.
“She was incredibly talented and spent weeks working directly with our entire team there, operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country,” Scott said.
Trey Yingst, a foreign correspondent for Fox, called Kuvshinova “talented, well-sourced and witty.”
Yonat Friling, a senior field producer, added that Kuvshinova “worked with our team for the past month and did a brilliant job.”
The deceased journalist was said to have enjoyed photography, poetry, and music.
Kuvshinova died alongside Fox’s Pierre Zakrzewski when their vehicle was struck by gunfire, according to Fox executives.
The source of the spray has not been made clear, though Ukrainian officials have blamed Russian forces.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian government, said the reporters “have become innocent victims of Putin’s aggression.”
Gulnoza Said, a coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement that the group was “deeply saddened” by the deaths of Zakrzewski and Kyvshynova.
“Reporting on this war is a vital public service, and it has already claimed the lives of at least two other journalists in just a few weeks. Ukrainian and Russian authorities must do their utmost to ensure safety of all journalists, and to thoroughly investigate attacks on the press,” Said added.
Benjamin Hall, another Fox reporter, was hospitalized with injuries during the incident that left his colleagues dead.
Hall was able to later leave Ukraine for further treatment, Scott said in a note Wednesday.
“Ben is alert and in good spirits. He is being treated with the best possible care in the world and we are in close contact with his wife and family,” she said in the update.
In Washington a day prior, Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, thanked reporters while speaking at the National Press Club for “risking their lives to tell the world the truth—something that Ukraine desperately needs, something the world desperately needs.”
