A Russian journalist was killed Tuesday when an area near the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk was shelled during fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops.
Fyodor Solyanik, the head doctor of the Luhansk regional clinic, said journalist Igor Kornelyuk "died on the operating table," RIA Novosti reported.
The press service of state media company VGTPK, which Kornelyuk had been working for, confirmed his death to Interfax on Tuesday, adding that the fate of cameraman Anton Voloshin was unknown.
Pro-Russian separatists and state-run television channel RT reported that Voloshin had been killed at the scene.
Kornelyuk reported in his final broadcast, which was recorded shortly prior to his death, that "hundreds of peaceful civilians" had been killed in the course of Ukrainian military operations, and that Luhansk residents had begun referring to the Ukrainian government's actions in the area as genocide.
In the aftermath of the shelling, there were reports that a third journalist, Viktor Denisov, had been killed. RIA Novosti reported that Denisov was still alive, however, and cited him describing details of the incident.
"A separatist raised his hand to signal to the refugees to take a safe path, and at that moment there was the smack of a mine," which landed near the group, injuring the separatist and others, Denisov said, adding that he was lucky enough to have moved to a different area at that time.
Kornelyuk was born in Zaporozhe, Ukraine and was 37 years old.
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