Two journalists were injured in a Russian overnight attack on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, while a third is missing in the rubble, officials said on Sunday (August 25, 2024).
Vadim Filyashkin, head of the Donetsk regional government, said the journalists were British, American and Ukrainian citizens and that a search operation was underway to find the missing journalists.
Mr. Filyashkin said in a Telegram post that the attack happened “at midnight”.
“A hotel in the city was targeted – two people are reported to be injured and one person is trapped under the debris,” the official said about the incident.
“The three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the US and the UK. Apart from the hotel, a nearby high-rise building was also damaged.”
“Officials, police and rescue workers are working at the scene. Debris is being removed and rescue operations are ongoing,” Mr Filashkin said.
Kramatorsk is the last major city in the Donbass region still under Ukrainian control. It lies about 20 kilometres (13 miles) from the war’s front line.
The city had a population of around 150,000 before Russia’s February 2022 invasion, but has been the target of repeated attacks since then.