A safety advisor working for Reuters was killed in a missile strike on a hotel in eastern Ukraine, the global news agency said on Sunday, as Kyiv claimed further advances into Russia’s Kursk region.
Meanwhile, Ukraine accused neighboring Moscow-allied Belarus – which allowed Russia to use its territory as a launchpad for the February 2022 invasion – of “concentrating” troops on the border and warned it to stop “unfriendly” actions.
In another bloody day in the two-and-a-half year war, Russian attacks killed at least 18 civilians across Ukraine, while Russian officials said six civilians were also killed in Ukrainian strikes on Russian border regions.
Reuters said it was “devastated” by the loss of its security advisor, Ryan Evans, following the strike late on Saturday at the Hotel Sapphire in the city of Kramatorsk, where six of its crew covering the war were staying.
Reuters said the strike left two of its journalists in hospital, one with serious injuries, while three others were safe.
Kramatorsk – the last major city under Ukrainian control in the Donetsk region – is often used as a base for aid workers and foreign journalists.
Ukraine Claims Kursk Advances
Meanwhile, Kyiv claimed further advances into Russia’s Kursk region, where it launched a counter-offensive on August 6.
Zelensky claimed Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Kursk had yielded small advances – “from one to three kilometres” – and taken control of two more Russian settlements.
Belarus Warned Against ‘Unfriendly Actions’
Late on Sunday, Kyiv said Ukrainian intelligence had found Belarus was building up equipment and troops on the border “under the guise of exercises.”
The foreign ministry said Ukrainian intelligence had also recorded the presence of fighters from the Wagner mercenary group.
It warned Minsk to “cease unfriendly actions and withdraw forces away from Ukraine’s state border.”
In 2022, Minsk allowed Russian troops to station in Belarus for “drills” before Moscow launched its invasion in February.
On Sunday evening, officials said attacks on the Sumy region – from where Kyiv had launched its surprise incursion on August 6 – had killed three civilians and wounded six more.
In the south, officials said Russian strikes that hit outside the city of Kherson killed three people and wounded six, including a one-year-old boy who was left with shrapnel injuries.
Over the border in Russia, authorities said attacks on the Belgorod region killed six civilians.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said five people were killed in a strike on the village of Rakitnoye, in an attack that also wounded 13 others.
Maryke Vermaak, with AFP
