Ukraine mentioned on Friday that Colonel Normal Alexei Kim, a deputy chief of Russia’s Normal Employees, ordered a missile strike on a lodge in jap Ukraine in August that killed Reuters security adviser Ryan Evans and wounded two of the company’s journalists.
An announcement printed by the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Telegram mentioned Kim signed off on the strike on the Sapphire Lodge in Kramatorsk on Aug. 24.
It mentioned it had named him in absentia as an official suspect, a step in any Ukrainian prison proceedings towards a person that may later result in fees.
“It was Kim who signed the directive and gave the fight order to fireplace on the lodge, the place solely civilians had been staying,” it mentioned.
There was no fast remark from Russia’s defence ministry, which didn’t reply to earlier requests for remark concerning the assault. The information company additionally acquired no response to messages to Kim’s cell phone looking for remark concerning the SBU assertion.
In response to questions from Reuters, the SBU declined to share a duplicate of the directive signed by Kim, or present additional proof to help its claims. The information company couldn’t independently verify them.
“To hold out the assault, the Russian colonel normal concerned one among his subordinate missile forces models,” the Ukrainian company mentioned, including that the strike was carried out with an Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The SBU didn’t establish the precise unit.
Their assertion mentioned Kim had been named a suspect below two articles of the Ukrainian prison code: waging an aggressive battle and violating the legal guidelines and customs of battle.
Reuters mentioned: “We notice the information right now from the Ukrainian safety companies relating to the missile assault on August 24, 2024, on the Sapphire Lodge in Kramatorsk, a civilian goal greater than 20 km from Russian-occupied territory.”
“The strike had devastating penalties, killing our security advisor, Ryan Evans, and injuring members of our editorial group. We proceed to hunt extra details about the assault. It’s critically necessary for journalists to have the ability to report freely and safely,” the assertion mentioned.
Evans, a 38-year-old former British soldier who had labored as a security adviser for Reuters since 2022, was killed immediately within the strike.
Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey, a videographer for the information company who was in a room throughout the hall, was severely wounded. Kyiv-based textual content correspondent Dan Peleschuk was additionally injured.
The remaining three members of the Reuters group escaped with minor cuts and scratches.
This text was produced by Reuters information company. It has not been edited by International South World.
