An American journalist and award-winning filmmaker Brent Renaud has been shot dead by Russian forces in Irpin outside Kyiv on Sunday, March 13. According to a tweet shared on the official handle of Ukraine's parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Russian troops opened fire when the journalist and his colleague were inside a car.
"Russian occupiers have opened fire on a car of two American journalists in Irpin, #Kyiv region. American documentary filmmaker Brent Reno was killed in the shelling," the tweet read. While Reno died on the spot, the other injured American journalist Wayne was taken to Okhmatdyt Hospital.
According to the tweet, a video from the hospital was posted by the spokesperson of Okhmatdyt Hospital where Wayne revealed they were filming the refugees' evacuation from Irpin, when Russian troops started shooting at them near the roadblock.
Who is Brent Renaud?
Brent Renaud was a journalist and an award-winning filmmaker from America. According to a tweet, the death of Renaud has been confirmed by The New York Times. However, they stated that he was not a part of any assignment at the New York Times while he was in Ukraine.
Renaud was a director who has worked for the famous publication for several years including HBO and NBC. But, he was last associated with the NYT editorial in 2015. Renaud was 50-years-old.
A PBS Newshour reporter who goes by the name Jane Ferguson tweeted, "I just left a roadside spot near Irvine where the body of American journalist Brent Reno lay under a blanket. Ukrainian doctors couldn't do anything to help him at that point. An angry Ukrainian police officer: "Tell America, tell the world, what they did to the journalist."
Meanwhile, journalists have been forbidden from entering Irpin after the Russian soldiers killed the US reporter on March 13.
"Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said the measure was put in place to protect journalists and Ukrainian soldiers alike. Irpin is a satellite town near Kyiv, and a site of fighting," according to reports shared by The Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine has reported that the Russian invasion has already caused the largest humanitarian catastrophe since World War 2. The 2022 Ukraine-Russia war dubbed as World war 3 has forced over a million people to cross the border seeking shelter for their kids and families.
