US video journalist shot dead by Russian soldiers

A US video journalist has become the first member of the foreign press corps to be killed in Ukraine after Russian soldiers attacked his car.

Brent Renaud, 50, who had worked for the New York Times, was shot dead in the town of Irpin near the capital Kyiv.

He had previously reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti.

Two other journalists were injured in the attack and taken to hospital.

One of them, fellow American Juan Arredondo, said he was with Mr Renaud when they came under fire.

“We were across one of the first bridges in Irpin, going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car”, he said in a video shot in hospital and published on Twitter.

“Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint, and they start shooting at us. So the driver turned around, and they kept shooting; there’s two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud, and he’s been shot and left behind... I saw him being shot in the neck.”

The New York Times said it was “deeply saddened” to hear of Renaud’s death but that he had not currently been working for the paper in Ukraine.

A spokesman called him a “talented filmmaker who had contributed to the New York Times over the years”. Mr Renaud last worked for it in 2015, the paper said, and the press ID he had been wearing in Ukraine was issued years ago.

America’s NBC News said: “We were deeply saddened to learn about the death of awardwinning filmmaker and journalist Brent Renaud.

“Over the years he made important contributions to NBC News reports, although he was not on assignment for us in Ukraine.”

Ukrainian police said: “US citizen Brent Renaud paid with his life trying to highlight the deceit, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor”.