Ex-British soldier killed in Russian missile strike at Ukrainian hotel that left six injured including four journalists

THE man killed in a Russian missile strike in eastern Ukraine was an ex-British soldier, it has been revealed.

Rescuers discovered the body of Ryan Evans, who was a safety advisor for the Reuters news agency, in the rubble of a hotel in the eastern town of Kramatorsk.

Evans was killed after a missile struck the Hotel Sapphire where he was staying as part of a six-person team on Saturday, Reuters said in a statement.

Two of his colleagues were also injured in the blast and were being treated in hospital.

"We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families," Reuters said.

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics.

He was 38.

Reuters said: "We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly."

The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike were accounted for and safe, the agency said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the hotel was hit by a Russian Iskander missile, a ballistic missile that can strike at distances up to 310 miles.

"An ordinary city hotel was destroyed by the Russian Iskander," he said in his evening address on Sunday, adding the strike was "absolutely purposeful, thought out ... my condolences to family and friends".

An urgent search had been launched for the then missing British man who was believed to be trapped in the rubble, with officials confirming the three are British, American and Ukrainian.

Reuters confirmed that the Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person Reuters crew was staying, was hit "by an apparent missile strike" on Saturday.

Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city’s military administration, said: “The body of a British citizen who died during a missile attack by the Russian Federation was recovered from under the rubble of a destroyed hotel building in Kramatorsk.”

He said six other people were injured including four journalists aged 38, 40, 41 and 46.

He said they suffered blast injuries, a concussion, a broken leg,cuts and bruises on the body.

Two local residents were also injured inside nearby homes.

Sources earlier told The Sun a British man working with the Reuters crew was missing while two journalists were injured.

Reuters said in an official statement: "One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment.

"Three other colleagues have been accounted for.

"We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families.

"We will give an update when we have more information."

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional government, said that a Russian missile hit in Kramatorsk at around 10.35pm.

He said: "A hotel was targeted in the city -- two people are currently known to be wounded, and one person is under the rubble.

"All three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the US and the UK.

"Authorities, police and rescuers are working at the scene. The rubble is being cleared and rescue operations are underway."

A high-rise building near the hotel was also damaged in the hit.

Video shared online by Ukrainian Government advisor Anton Gerashchenko showed the destroyed inside of the hotel with rubble and broken glass scattered everywhere.

Reuters also said: "Three other colleagues have been accounted for.

"We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families.

"We will give an update when we have more information."

Ukrainian officials said on Telegram that an investigation had been launched into the strike which hit just after 10.30pm.

They said: "Russian troops struck the city of Kramatorsk, probably with an Iskander-M missile."

Kramatorsk is the last major city in the Donbas which is still under Ukrainian control.

It is about 13 miles from the gruelling front line.

The city had about 150,000 people before Russia's February 2022 invasion, but it has been the target of repeated attacks since.

An FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports of a British National missing in Ukraine and are seeking more information from the local authorities”.