US is ‘looking very hard’ at whether Russia is ‘deliberately’ targeting journalists after attack on Fox crew

At least three journalists have been killed and several more injured by Kremlin forces in Ukraine in the last few days alone

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the US is “looking very hard” at whether Russia is “deliberately” targeting journalists covering the war in Ukraine, after at least three have been killed and several more injured by Kremlin forces in the last few days alone.

Mr Blinken told NPR in an interview that aired on Wednesday that US officials are “documenting” Russia’s attacks and that, if they determine Vladimir Putin’s troops are intentionally targeting journalists, this will be treated as a “war crime”.

“We are looking very hard at the targeting that the Russian forces are doing, including whether they are deliberately, intentionally targeting civilians, journalists or anyone else,” he said.

“This is something we’re looking hard at, we’re documenting. Others are looking at this. The deliberate targeting of civilians, journalists and others would constitute a war crime.”

The secretary of state said that the world is “seeing journalists in the crossfire, people doing their jobs to bring the truth to the world”.

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Since Sunday, an American journalist, a Fox News cameraman and a Ukrainian freelancer working for Fox News have all died in Ukraine as they reported on Russia’s assault.

Award-winning American journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot and killed by Russian forces in Irpin on Sunday while on an assignment for TIME magazine.

The 50-year-old was in a car on route to report on Ukrainian refugees trying to evacuate when the vehicle was ambushed by Vladimir Putin’s troops, according to Ukrainian officials.

TIME confirmed later that the filmmaker had been “in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis”.

A second American journalist Juan Arredondo was also shot in the attack but survived. A third journalist also traveling in the same car was also wounded, according to Ukrainian officials.

The following day, a Fox News team was ambushed while news-gathering close to the capital city Kyiv.

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski poses for a selfie with colleagues in Kyiv in undated photo (via REUTERS)

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, who was working as a freelancer for the network, both died in Monday’s attack as the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by incoming fire in the field.

Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall, a British-American journalist who has previously written for The Independent, was also injured in the attack.

On Wednesday, his colleague Bill Hemmer announced that Mr Hall had been evacuated from Ukraine and was “alert and in good spirits” recovering from his injuries.

Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott added in a statement that Mr Hall is receiving “the best possible care in the world” and that the network remains in close contact with his family.

Mr Blinken referenced the attack on the Fox News team, saying he knows Mr Hall “very well”.

“We’ve seen a Fox team that has had two of its members killed, one injured - someone I know very well,” he said.

“This is Ben Hall. He’s someone who travels with me when I travel around the world. Someone I have great, great affection for, who’s a tremendous reporter who asks me a lot of tough questions every place we go.

“I’m very much hoping and praying that he’ll be back on the job as soon as possible. But meanwhile, two of his colleagues lost their lives.

Fox News freelance journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova in Ukraine with colleagues before her death (via REUTERS)

“And another very prominent filmmaker lost his life just the other day,” he added, in reference to Mr Renaud.

Since the start of the war, Mr Putin’s forces have targeted journalists showing the world his assault on the Ukrainian people all the while trying to censor coverage of the war back in Russia.

Back on 1 March, Ukrainian journalist and cameraman Yevhenii Sakun was one of five people killed when Russian forces shelled a TV tower in Kyiv.

Days later, two journalists for Sky News were shot by Russian forces but survived.

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