Support The Moscow Times!

U.S. Journalist Shot Dead in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers are on guard in Irpin, north of Kyiv. Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP

A U.S. journalist was shot dead and another wounded on Sunday in Irpin, a frontline suburb of Kyiv that has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Papers found on the American reporter's body identified him as 50-year-old video documentary shooter Brent Renaud, of New York.

A New York Times identity card was among the papers, leading to reports he worked for the paper, but the U.S. daily said he was not working for it at the time of his death.

The International Federation of Journalists identified the wounded reporter as American photographer Juan Arredondo.

A third victim, a Ukrainian who had been in the same car as the Americans, was also wounded, according to a medic at the scene.

AFP reporters in Irpin saw Ukrainian volunteer soldiers rush the body on a stretcher to a more secure location before laying it out on the ground for further identification.

Danylo Shapovalov, a surgeon volunteering for the Ukrainian territorial defence, said Renaud died instantly from a gunshot wound to his neck.

Ukrainian officials were quick to blame Russian forces for the shooting but the exact circumstances were unclear.

AFP reporters heard small arms and artillery fire in the area, which runs along the front splitting Ukrainian positions from advancing Russian forces

"The car was shot at. There were two journalists and one of ours," Shapovalov told AFP.

"Our guy and the journalist are wounded, I provided them first aid, the other one received a wound in the neck, he died immediately."

'They kept shooting' 


The New York Times called Renaud "a talented photographer and filmmaker" who last contributed to the paper in 2015.

"He was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine," said a statement tweeted by deputy managing editor Cliff Levy.

Arredondo said in a news video shot of him in his hospital bed that the reporters' vehicle came under attack after crossing a Ukrainian-controled checkpoint.

"We were going to film other refugees leaving. We got into a car, someone offered to take us to the other bridge," he said.

"We crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us, so the driver turned around and they kept shooting."

Ukrainian officials immediately blamed Russian forces for the attack, which occurred near a bridge leading from Irpin to the flashpoint town of Bucha, now under Russian control.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said U.S. officials would consult with Kyiv to determine the circumstances of the attack.

"We'll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it," Sullivan told CBS television.

Renaud won Harvard University's Nieman Fellowship in 2019, which he used to report on a wide range of global issues, including Black Lives Matter protests in his native Little Rock, Arkansas.

His other work included an HBO documentary on heroin addiction and reports on Africa and the Middle East, according to his official Nieman biography.

Renaud becomes the first foreign reporter killed in Ukraine since the Russian assault began on Feb. 24.

A Ukrainian journalist died during a Russian missile strike aimed at Kyiv's television tower, which killed five people walking in the area on March 1.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more