Here are the latest updates on the war in Ukraine:
LVIV, Ukraine — Russian warships around midnight fired missiles and artillery at the Ukrainian sea coast near Tuzla, to the south of Odessa, Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said.
“They fired a huge amount of ammunition from a great distance,” he said on Facebook.
Gerashchenko said Russia wanted to test Ukraine’s coastal defence system.
He said there was no attempt to land troops. He didn’t say whether any of the shelling hit anything.
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HERE ARE TODAY’S KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week for face-to-face talks with European leaders about Russia’s invasion
— Russia has stepped up its bombardment of Kyiv, as a series of strikes hit a residential neighbourhood in the capital city
— The European Union has imposed new sanctions, including measures that target Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich
— The leaders of three European Union countries have travelled to Kyiv
— Fox News says two of its journalists were killed in Ukraine when the vehicle he was traveling in was struck by incoming fire
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:
The employee of Russian state television who was arrested after interrupting a live news program by protesting the war in Ukraine said she was not allowed to sleep in police custody and was interrogated for 14 hours.
"These were very difficult days of my life because I literally went two full days without sleep, the interrogation lasted for more than 14 hours and they didn’t allow me to contact my family and close friends, didn’t provide any legal support," Marina Ovsyannikova said after she was released.
Ovsyannikova, an employee of Channel 1, walked into the studio during Monday’s evening news show with a poster saying "stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here." In English, it said "no war" at the top of the poster and "Russians against the war" at the bottom.
In a video recorded before her action, she urged Russians to join anti-war protests and said that "Russia is the aggressor country and one person, Vladimir Putin, solely bears responsibility for that aggression."
She was fined 30,000 rubles (about US$270) on charges of organizing unsanctioned actions for her call to take part in demonstrations against the war.
The state news agency Tass said Ovsyannikova was fined for the video, not for her appearance during the news show.
She remains under investigation for that on-air protest, Tass said, citing a law enforcement source. Tass said Ovsyannikova is being investigated under a new law against the dissemination of "deliberately false information" about the use of Russian armed forces, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Wednesday that Russia’s demands during negotiations are becoming "more realistic" after nearly three weeks of war. He said more time was needed for the talks, which are being held by video conference.
"Efforts are still needed, patience is needed," he said in his nighttime video address to the nation. "Any war ends with an agreement."
Zelensky, who is to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, thanked President Joe Biden and "all the friends of Ukraine" for $13.6 billion in new support included in a spending measure that Biden signed.
He appealed for more weapons and more sanctions to punish Russia, and repeated his call to "close the skies over Ukraine to Russian missiles and planes."
He said Russian forces on Tuesday were unable to move deeper into Ukrainian territory and continued their heavy shelling of cities.
Over the past day, 28,893 civilians were able to flee the fighting along nine humanitarian corridors, although the Russians refused to allow aid into Mariupol, he said.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russian troops seized a hospital in Mariupol and took about 500 people hostage during another assault on the southern port city late Tuesday, regional leader Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Russians troops drove 400 people from neighbouring houses into Regional Intensive Care Hospital, Kyrylenko said on the messaging app Telegram. About 100 doctors and patients also are believed to be inside, he said.
The troops are using those inside the hospital as human shields and are not allowing anyone to leave, he said.
"It’s impossible to leave the hospital, they are shooting hard," Kyrylenko said.
Kyrylenko said the main building of the hospital has been heavily damaged by shelling, but medical staff are continuing to treat patients in makeshift wards set up in the basement.
He called on the world to respond to these "gross violations of the norms and customs of war, these egregious crimes against humanity."
The Ukrainian army’s General Staff says Russian troops are trying to block off the city from the western and eastern outskirts of the city. "There are significant losses," it said in a Facebook post.
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will announce on Wednesday that the U.S. is delivering $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, according to a White House official.
Biden is expected to detail the assistance during a speech on the situation in Ukraine.
The money will come out of $13.6 billion in additional military and humanitarian aid allocated for Ukraine in a broader $1.5 trillion government spending measure that Biden signed on Tuesday.
With the new round of aid, Biden will have committed $2 billion in assistance to Ukraine since taking office.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is also scheduled to deliver video remarks to Congress Wednesday morning.
While officials are anticipating that Zelensky could once again call on the U.S. and West to send Ukraine fighter jets or help establish a "no-fly" zone, the Biden administration is looking to send Ukraine "more of what’s been working well," including anti-armor and air defence weapons, according to the official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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Associated Press Writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
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LYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces on Tuesday evening repelled an attack on Kharkiv by Russian troops, who tried to storm the city from their positions in Piatykhatky, a suburb 15 kilometres (9 miles) to the north, the head of the Kharkiv region said.
The Ukrainian army was able "to push the enemy back beyond its previous position," Oleh Synehubov said on the messaging app Telegram. He called it a "shameful defeat."
There was no information about casualties on either side.
After dark, Russian forces increased their shelling of the eastern city, Ukraine’s second largest. On Tuesday morning, Synehubov had said Russian troops the previous night had fired more than 60 missiles at the historical center of the city.
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a resolution seeking investigations of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime for war crimes over the invasion of Ukraine.
Senators late Tuesday passed the resolution, which says the Senate strongly condemns the "violence, war crimes. crimes against humanity" being carried out Russian military forces. The measure does not carry the force of law, but encourages international criminal court investigations of Putin, his security council and military leaders.
"These atrocities deserve to be investigated for war crimes," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
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LVIV — A funeral service was held Tuesday in Lviv for four Ukrainian soldiers killed in a Russian attack on a training base in Yavoriv in western Ukraine. The attack on Sunday killed at least 35 people.
Ukrainian soldiers shouldered the caskets into the sanctuary of Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and placed them on bases.
Burials were held Tuesday for three soldiers, Oleg Yaschyshyn, Serhiy Melnyk and Rostyslav Romanchuk.
The fourth soldier, Kyrylo Vyshyvanyi, was previously buried in his hometown of Duliby in the Lviv region. Vyshyvanyi’s family buried his younger brother, Vasyl, on March 4.
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KYIV, Ukraine — A top Ukrainian negotiator says talks with Russia will continue Wednesday.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Russian negotiators via video link on Monday and Tuesday, described the talks as "very difficult and viscous."
He said that "there are fundamental contradictions," but added that "there is certainly room for compromise."
The talks via video link this week follow three round of negotiations in Belarus that have failed to produce any visible progress.
Both Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have voiced cautious optimism but haven’t spelled out any details of talks.
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KYIV, Ukraine — A senior Ukrainian official says about 20,000 people have managed to leave the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy head of office of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the evacuees left Mariupol in private vehicles via a humanitarian corridor on Tuesday.
He said that 570 of some 4,000 vehicles that left the city have reached the city of Zaporizhzhia some 260 kilometres (160 miles) northwest while others will spend the night in various towns along the way.
Mariupol, a strategic port city of 430,000 on the Sea of Azov, has been besieged by Russian troops for more than 10 days, facing heavy shelling that has killed more than 2,300 people and left residents struggling for food, water, heat and medicine.
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WASHINGTON — Russian ground troops have made limited progress over the last 24 hours in their effort to seize major cities in Ukraine, a senior defence official said Tuesday.
And as deadly airstrikes continue, the U.S. has seen indications that Russia may believe it needs more troops and supplies than it has on hand in the country, and is considering ways to get resources brought in, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. military assessments.
The official did not elaborate on the indications, and said that as of Tuesday, however, there has been no actual movement of reinforcement troops currently in Russia going into Ukraine.
According to the official, Russian ground forces are still about 15-20 kilometres (9-12 miles) northwest of Kyiv and 20-30 kilometres (12-19 miles) east of the city, which is being increasingly hit by long-range strikes. The official said Ukrainian troops continue to put up stiff resistance in Kharkiv and other areas.
Russia has launched more than 950 missiles so far in the war, and both Russia and Ukraine still retain about 90% of their combat power, the official said.
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Associated Press Writer Lolita Bandor contributed to this report.
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MEDYKA, Poland — Refugees continued to pour into Poland on Tuesday at a border crossing connecting Ukraine to the Polish village of Medyka.
Ludmila Deslichenko, 41, travelled from Cherkasy in central Ukraine.
"We would like to go back home as soon as the war ends and when there’s peace," Deslichenko said. "It was very terrifying. There were bombs during the day, also rockets, everywhere in Ukraine. There were a lot of explosions. As soon as it calms down and the war is over, we will go back."
Oksana Voloshen, 59, said she crossed the border to buy groceries to bring back to Mostyska in far western Ukraine.
"We have nothing in the shops," she said.
Nicolas Kusiak, who leads NGOs and volunteers at the Medyka border crossing, said that while they’re seeing mostly refugees entering Poland, some are headed the other way.
"We have a lot of military, ex-military from all over the world, the (United) States, U.K., Germany, Denmark, even Poland, joining the international legion," Kusiak said.
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KYIV, Ukraine — A senior aide to Ukraine’s president says that Russia has softened its stance in the talks over a possible settlement.
Ihor Zhovkva, a deputy chief of staff to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Tuesday that the talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have become "more constructive" and Russia has changed tone and stopped airing demands for Ukraine to surrender — something Russia had insisted upon during earlier stages of talks.
Three rounds of talks in Belarus earlier this month have been followed by video calls between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, including the one on Tuesday.
Zhovkva said that Ukrainian representatives feel "moderately optimistic" after the talks, adding that it would be necessary for Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet to make major progress.
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s foreign minister is travelling to Moscow as part of efforts to secure a cease-fire.
Mevlut Cavusoglu would hold talks in Moscow on Wednesday before travelling to Ukraine for talks on Thursday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.
In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also said the Polish President Andrzej Duda would be visiting Turkey on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on the crisis.
Last week the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers met on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum organized by Turkey, although their talks failed to produce a breakthrough.
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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s Parliament has approved a NATO plan to deploy up to 2,100 troops on Slovak territory following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The plan is part of the NATO initiative to reassure member countries on the alliance’s eastern flank by sending forces to help protect them.
Germany is supposed to contribute the biggest number of soldiers, up to 700, to the multinational battlegroup. The Czech Republic follows with 600 and the U.S. will send up to 400. The Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia will also contribute troops.
Their deployment together with the Patriot air defence system will increase the defensive capabilities of Slovakia’s armed forces.
The alliance stationed troops in the Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — and Poland after the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula by Russia. After Russia attacked Ukraine, NATO decided to boost its presence along the entire eastern flank by deploying forces in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
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MILAN — Italian museums said Tuesday that they had gotten a reprieve from a Russian request to immediately repatriate artworks on loan from the State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg.
The director of the State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg said in a message relayed Monday by the Hermitage Italia collection that an agreement had been reached with Russian cultural officials so that "the paintings of Titian and Picasso can continue to remain on the walls of museums," at Palazzo Reale in Milan and the Fondazione Alda Fendi in Rome. The same goes for works on loan to the Gallerie d’Italia, owned by bank Intesa Sanpaolo, in Milan.
Russian cultural officials had requested the immediate repatriation of the works last week as cultural ties frayed along with the diplomatic tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Hermitage director general, Michail Piotrovsky, expressed regret "that cultural relations between our countries have collapsed into such `darkness.’ It can recover only if we conserve an atmosphere of good will and benevolence. We always repeat that the bridges of culture are the last to blow up. It is time to protect them."
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BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he’s convened a summit for next week of the military organization’s 30 leaders to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Stoltenberg says the March 24 summit will be led by U.S. President Joe Biden and "will address the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence in response to a new reality for our security."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Biden will travel to Brussels for the face-to-face talks with European leaders.
The trip follows on Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to eastern flank NATO countries of Poland and Romania last week to discuss with leaders the growing refugee crisis in eastern Europe sparked by the Russian invasion and to underscore the Biden administration’s support for NATO allies.
Stoltenberg said in a statement Tuesday that "at this critical time, North America and Europe must continue to stand together in NATO." NATO has been bolstering its eastern flank with troops and equipment to deter Russia from invading any of its members. NATO refuses to deploy troops to Ukraine as it is concerned about sparking a wider war in Europe.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union has slapped sanctions on Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia.
The EU included the Russian oligarch in its updated list of individuals facing assets freeze and travel bans over their role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 55-year-old Abramovich had already been punished in Britain by Boris Johnson’s administration last week. The aluminum magnate was among seven wealthy Russians who had their assets frozen under British sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich has also been suspended as director of the Premier League club.
The EU said Abramovich "has had privileged access to the president, and has maintained very good relations with him. This connection with the Russian leader helped him to maintain his considerable wealth."
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The Russian Foreign Ministry says Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Defence Minister Anita Anand and other Canadian officials have been put on a sanctions list.
The ministry said in Tuesday’s statement that they have been barred from entering Russia in retaliation to Canadian sanctions against the Russian leadership. The Russian sanctions also targeted Canadian lawmakers.
The ministry said the decision was a forced move taken in response to "hostile actions by the current Canadian regime that has long tested our patience." The decision followed the announcement of Russian sanctions against U.S. President Joe Biden and senior members of his administration.
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The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow is withdrawing from the Council of Europe.
The ministry said it handed a formal notice about Russia’s decision to leave the continent’s leading human rights organization to the Council of Europe’s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on Tuesday.
It said the move followed the Council of Europe’s decision to suspend Russia’s membership that was taken on Feb. 25.
The ministry charged that the Council of Europe has become an instrument of exerting pressure on Russia and alleged that it has been heavily influenced by NATO and the European Union. It said in a statement that its withdrawal from the Council of Europe wouldn’t impact human rights and freedoms in the country, which officials said are safeguarded by the Russian constitution.
Russia’s invasion has sparked widespread allegations of war crimes, as hundreds of Ukrainian civilians have been killed and numerous residential areas have been targeted by Russian troops.
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The Kremlin says that President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation in Ukraine with European Council President Charles Michel.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin informed Michel about the Russian view of the talks with Ukraine in Tuesday’s call, adding that Ukrainian officials haven’t yet "demonstrated a serious intention to search for mutually acceptable solutions."
Michel said on Twitter that he told Putin about the "urgent need to stop Russia’s fratricidal war against Ukraine" and emphasized that "indiscriminate shelling by Russian forces of Ukraine civilians must stop." He added that "Russia must urgently enable humanitarian access and safe passage.
Called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russia’s military.
Discussed ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Protection of civilian lives is an absolute priority.
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 15, 2022
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WARSAW — During a news conference with foreign journalists on Monday in Warsaw, Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said that while solidarity for Ukrainian refugees remains strong, steps must be taken to avoid a backlash.
More than 1.8 million refugees have fled to Poland. Around 390,000 people have travelled to Warsaw, where 300,000 displaced Ukrainians remain. Warsaw has become a major transfer point for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Its central train station has become a hub for people awaiting transport further West.
"I need to take care of the normal functioning of the city, because the more problems we have, the more our attention is diverted to other issues for longer, then we will start having problems in schools and hospitals and elsewhere," he told reporters.
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BELGRADE, Serbia — Another flight from Belgrade to Moscow has received a bomb threat that turned out to be false, Serbia’s police said Tuesday.
Unlike two other threats since Friday, this time it came before the plane took off. On Friday and Monday, the aircraft had to turn back shortly after takeoff for inspection.
The police said Tuesday they are investigating the third false claim in five days.
Serbian state media say the threatening emails came from Ukraine.
Besides Turkish carriers, Serbia’s national airline AirSerbia is the only airline in Europe still flying to and from Russia.
Serbia, which formally seeks European Union membership but has maintained close relations with ally Russia, has refused to join an international flight ban against Moscow in response to the war in Ukraine.
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UNITED NATIONS — Russia has circulated a proposed UN Security Council resolution demanding protection for civilians "in vulnerable situations" in Ukraine and safe passage for humanitarian aid and people seeking to leave the country — but it makes no mention of Russia’s responsibility for the war against its smaller neighbour.
The draft resolution released Tuesday expresses "grave concern" at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and reports of civilian casualties in and around Ukraine. It endorses UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for dialogue and negotiations and calls for a negotiated cease-fire to rapidly evacuate "all civilians," and underscores "the need for the parties concerned to agree on humanitarian pauses to this end."
The draft, which never identifies "the parties concerned," could be put to a vote as early as Wednesday, according to a Russian diplomat who was not authorized to speak publicly because discussions have been private.
The Russian measure was circulated a day after France and Mexico announced that a humanitarian resolution on Ukraine they co-sponsored, which had been discussed for two weeks in the Security Council, was being moved to the 193-member General Assembly for discussion and a vote.
That draft resolution called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and deplored the dire humanitarian consequences of the hostilities in Ukraine, provisions which are not in the proposed Russian resolution. The France-Mexico resolution would almost certainly have led to a Russian veto in the Security Council, but there are no vetoes in the General Assembly.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters that his country is prepared to support a humanitarian resolution and after Monday’s announcement by the French and Mexican ambassadors Russia thinks "the chances are still there," so he was putting forward its "roadmap" and will see whether the council adopts it.
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Associated Press Writer Edith Lederer contributed to this report.
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TORONTO — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Canadians to imagine bombs landing in their communities as he told the Canadian Parliament that his people want to live.
Zelensky urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian lawmakers to help enact a no-fly zone over the Ukraine and called for greater economic pressure on Russia.
"Justin, can you imagine you and your children hearing all these severe explosions, the bombing of the airport, the bombing of the Ottawa airport," Zelensky said. "Cruise missiles are falling down and your children are asking you, `What happened?"’
Speaking by video from Ukraine to a packed Canadian House of Commons chamber, Zelensky said the Russian war is designed to annihilate Ukraine and subjugate its people.
Zelensky evoked British wartime leader Winston Churchill as he told the U.K. Parliament last week that his country would fight Russia’s invasion to the end. Zelensky will also speak Wednesday to members of the U.S. House and Senate, an event that will be livestreamed for the public.
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MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — In Mykolaiv, a southern Ukraine city bordering the Black Sea, walls of sandbags with mannequins for decoys are placed at checkpoints. A high sandbag wall protects the front of a building serving as a support center for the military.
Rodyin Lavrushin is a volunteer at the center. He lifted a tarp covering plastic crates filled with Molotov cocktails.
"Here we collect everything from food to clothes and military specifics and help our military because the Russian occupiers came here to our home and we will protect it to the end." Lavrushin said Monday.
Mykolaiv resident Svetlana Gryshchenko said her son was killed Feb. 26 in the Donetsk region.
"He went there to the military command," Gryshchenko said. "He was a soldier and he’d just turned 24. He went there to work (with the military), not to fight."
"What is happening now in Mykolaiv cannot be described through words," Gryshchenko said. "We are bombed during the day and during the night. We are peaceful citizens, and I cannot put it into words. It is impossible to put into words. It’s a nightmare what Russia is doing on the territory of Ukraine."
Outside the Mykolaiv city morgue, bodies placed in plastic bags lie on the ground because the building had no room for more of the dead.
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NEW YORK — Fox News says one of its video journalists was killed in Ukraine when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by incoming fire.
The network said Tuesday that videographer Pierre Zakrzewski was killed in an incident that also injured reporter Benjamin Hall, who remains hospitalized. Their injuries occurred Monday in Horenka, outside of Kyiv.
Zakrzewski was a veteran journalists who had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for Fox. Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, said in a memo to staff members on Tuesday that "his passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched."
He won an xjmtzywinternal award at Fox for helping to get freelancers and their families out of Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal last year.
He was the second journalist killed in Ukraine in two days, following the death of documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud.
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RELATED IMAGESview larger image
People attend a funeral ceremony for four of the Ukrainian military servicemen, who were killed during an airstrike in a military base in Yarokiv, in a church in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talks to journalists during a news conference following a tripartite meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Antalya, Turkey, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo)
In this photo released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service press service, firefighters evacuate an elderly woman from an apartment building hit by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 14, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service via AP)
