Driver killed and 2 Reuters journalists injured in attack in eastern Ukraine

Two Reuters journalists were injured and a driver killed on Friday after the vehicle they were traveling in came under fire as it headed towards the eastern Ukrainian town of Sievierodonetsk, the last line of battle of Russia’s assault on its neighbour.

Photographer Alexander Ermoshenko and cameraman Pavel Klimov were traveling in a car provided by Russian-backed forces on the part of the road under Russian control between Sievierodonetsk and the town of Rubizhne, 10 km (6 miles) to the north.

Reuters could not immediately establish the identity of the driver, who had been assigned to Reuters by the separatists for the reporting trip. Ukraine‘s Defense Ministry did not respond to a phone call seeking comment on the incident.

Ermoshenko and Klimov were taken to Rubizhne hospital where they received initial treatment, Ermoshenko for a minor shrapnel wound and Klimov for a broken arm.

“Reuters extends its deepest condolences to the driver’s family for their loss,” a Reuters spokesman said in a statement.

In recent weeks, Russia has deployed its forces in the battle for Sievierodonetsk, a small industrial town in the east, which Russia must capture to achieve its stated goal of holding all of Luhansk province.

Both sides suffered punitive losses there in a street-to-street battle that could set the stage for a long war of attrition. Moscow describes its presence as a “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine.