Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute after a British security advisor is feared dead and others are injured in Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukraine on Saturday.
A missing British man, understood to be a security advisor for Reuters news agency, is feared dead after a body was found in the rubble at Hotel Sapphire, in Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region, after it was destroyed by a Russian missile strike on Saturday.
A six-strong film crew of Reuters journalists were staying at Hotel Sapphire when the Iskander-M Russian ballistic missile hit.
Seven people were injured including four Reuters journalists aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, and two local residents inside nearby homes.
They suffered blast injuries, a concussion, a broken leg, cuts and bruises on the body.
Zelensky has today released a statement, on social media platform X, in which he said that the people injured were Ukrainian, American and British citizens and condemned the Russian attack as ‘deliberate’ and ‘calculated’.
He offered his condolences to the families and friends of the British Reuters security advisor who was killed.
Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute after a British security advisor is feared dead and others are injured in Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukraine on Saturday
Emergency services urgently searching amongst the rubble to find the missing man
Ukrainian emergency services carry out a search and rescue operation among the rubble of a destroyed hotel after a strike in the town of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region on August 25, 2024
People walk past a destroyed hotel as emergency services continue their search and rescue operation
Ukrainian emergency services conduct a search and rescue operation among the rubble
Ukrainian emergency services seen inside what remains of the hotels structure searching for the missing man
A man talks on a mobile phone at the scene of the missile strike on Hotel Sapphire
A crane begins moving the rubble during the search operation for the missing journalist
The full statement from the Ukrainian President said: ‘Today in Kramatorsk, the entire day was spent clearing the rubble after a Russian missile strike. Among the injured were journalists – a Reuters film crew, citizens of Ukraine, America, and Britain. A regular city hotel was destroyed by a Russian “Iskander” missile. Deliberately. Calculated. Seven people were injured, and one person lost their life. My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones.
‘This is the daily Russian terror that continues because Russia still has the means to continue. Today, too, Russian strikes targeted our Sumy region –with “KAB” bombs, as well as on Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions. For all of this, the world must not stop exerting pressure on the terrorist state. For missile strikes, for “KAB” bombs, for assaults. In general – for this entire war. Russia must be forced to seek peace.
‘Today, I want to especially acknowledge our forces who are already holding Russia accountable. With the forces we have and the ones we are constantly strengthening. Every unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate, and the Security Service of Ukraine working on our long-range capabilities. Everyone repelling Russian assaults on the front line, especially now in the Donetsk region. Everyone engaged in the defensive operation in Kursk region. I thank all our warriors.
‘Also, my deepest gratitude to all the manufacturers of our Ukrainian weapons, suppliers of all the essential components, and the developers – each one of you who tirelessly works for Ukraine. We have already showcased “Palianytsia” – our new rocket drone. More of developments and more of our weapons will follow. While “Palyanytsias” and “Neptunes” can achieve many objectives, there are tasks that only“ATACMS,” “Storm Shadow,” “Scalp,” and other weapons from our partners can fulfill.’
Reuters earlier said they were ‘urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families’.
A Ukrainian emergency personnel works amongst the rubble as a crane clears some of the debris
Blue light from emergency service vehicles shines on the remains on Hotel Sapphire
Emergency services arrive to the area where Russian forces launched a missile attack with Iskander-M missile at a residential area near Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk
Emergency workers rest near the site where a hotel was hit after a gruelling search
Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as ‘rubble,’ with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack
People carry plywood to cover broken windows in a residential building next to the obliterated hotel
An aerial view of part of the missile strike site shows the destruction of the hotel
An emergency worker searching through the piles of rubble from the strike
Associated Press reporters at the scene described the former hotel as ‘rubble,’ with excavators still being used to clear debris hours after the attack.
In addition to the hotel, a nearby multistory building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy clearing the debris at the site.
Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region also came under Russian fire, resulting in multiple civilian injuries, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
In Kharkiv’s Chuhuiv region, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were struck by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people were wounded when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.
It comes as officials today said that five people died in Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s border region of Belgorod.
Twelve other people were wounded in the Russian village of Rakitone, 23 miles from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl reported to be in critical condition, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Another man also died in a separate drone attack on the border village of Solovevka, he wrote later on social media.