Kramatorsk

Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk

1 min read
Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk
Emergency rescue workers at the site of a Kramatorsk hotel damaged in a Russian strike on Aug. 24, 2024. At least 1 person was killed and 6 others were injured in the attack. (Ukraine's National Police/web)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Dec. 20 that it had gathered evidence against Colonel General Alexei Kim, the Russian officer allegedly responsible for the Aug. 24 missile attack on the Sapfir Hotel in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

The strike killed Ryan Evans, a British security adviser for Reuters, and injured six others, including two Reuters journalists.

Kim, a deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, signed the directive and issued the combat order for the Iskander-M ballistic missile strike, according to the SBU.

The SBU said that Kim directed one of his missile units to target the hotel despite it being occupied solely by civilians.

SBU investigators charged Kim in absentia under Ukraine's Criminal Code with waging a war of aggression and violating the laws and customs of war.

The charges align with Ukraine's broader efforts to hold Russian military leaders accountable for targeting civilian infrastructure and committing war crimes.

This development follows the Dec. 17 assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's radiation, chemical, and biological defense forces, in an alleged SBU operation in Moscow.

Ukrainian prosecutors had previously charged Kirillov with deploying banned chemical weapons in the conflict.

Russian missile attack damages 6 foreign embassies in Kyiv, Foreign Ministry says
The embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal and Montenegro are located in a building that was heavily damaged by the Russian attack.
Article image
Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

Read more
News Feed

Seaborne crude flows averaged 3.12 million barrels a day over the four weeks to July 6, a 3% decline from the previous period ending June 29, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the lowest level recorded since the four-week period ending Feb. 23.

Show More