Military

Fox News Photographer, Ukrainian Journalist Killed Outside Kyiv

March 15, 2022Dustin Jones
Fox Journalists Killed Ukraine

From left, Fox News photographer Pierre Zakrzewski, journalist Steve Harrigan, and senior field producers Yonat Filling and Ibrahim Hazboun. Zakrzewski was killed Monday, March 14, 2022, while traveling by car outside of Kyiv. The attack also killed Ukranian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova and wounded Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall. Fox News photo.

Two journalists were killed when a car they were riding in came under fire on the outskirts of Kyiv Monday, March 15, just days after a filmmaker was killed in a similar incident. Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova were killed when their car took fire outside of Kyiv, near a town known to have seen heavy fighting.


Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was in the car, was wounded in the attack. 




The incident comes just days after Brent Renaud, a journalist and filmmaker, died Saturday on the opposite side of Kyiv when a car he was riding in also came under fire.


Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott announced the grim news to her staff via a memo issued Tuesday morning. In the memo, obtained by Coffee or Die Magazine, Scott said the team was traveling by car in the village of Horenka, a small town along the northwestern border of Kyiv, when they came under fire.


Horenka is adjacent to the town of Hostomel, where heavy fighting has been reported and which Pentagon officials have said roughly marks the farthest line of advance for Russian forces advancing on Kyiv from the north.


Few details about the attack were clear but Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko said in a Telegram post that he believes the team came under Russian mortar fire.


Zakrzewski, 55, was a London-based veteran journalist with extensive reporting experience in combat zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan, Scott said.


“Last year, he played a key role in getting our Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal,” Scott’s memo said. 


In recognition for that work, Scott said, the company gave Zakrzewski its Unsung Hero award this past December.


A number of Fox journalists took to social media with condolences and memories of Zakrzewski. John Roberts, co-anchor for Fox News’ America Reports, called his fallen colleague “an absolute treasure.” 




The Committee to Protect Journalists gave its second statement of condolences in two days following the attack. The CPJ reported that the team had been traveling in a car clearly labeled “press,” citing a former Fox News fixer who is familiar with the incident. The committee is urging both Russian and Ukrainian forces to take the necessary steps to ensure journalists can cover the conflict in as safe a manner as possible. 


“We are deeply saddened by the deaths of Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Kuvshynova in Ukraine while they were working with Fox News, and we are hoping that correspondent Benjamin Hall recovers from his injuries,” CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Gulnoza Said, said in a statement. “Reporting on this war is a vital public service, and it has already claimed the lives of at least two other journalists in just a few weeks. Ukrainian and Russian authorities must do their utmost to ensure safety of all journalists, and to thoroughly investigate attacks on the press.”


Read Next: Russian Director’s Nightmarish Film Is Powerful Indictment of War



Dustin Jones
Dustin Jones

Dustin Jones is a former senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine covering military and intelligence news. Jones served four years in the Marine Corps with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. He studied journalism at the University of Colorado and Columbia University. He has worked as a reporter in Southwest Montana and at NPR. A New Hampshire native, Dustin currently resides in Southern California.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Coffee Or Die Photo
From the Team Room to Team Room Design: An Operator’s Creative Journey

BRCC partners with Team Room Design for an exclusive T-shirt release!

Coffee Or Die Photo
Get Your Viking On: The Exclusive 30 Sec Out BRCC Shirt Club Design

Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.

Grizzly Forge BRCC shirt
Limited Edition: Grizzly Forge Blades on an Awesome BRCC Shirt

Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.

BRCC Limited Edition Josh Raulerson Blackbeard Skull Shirt
From Naval Service to Creative Canvas: BRCC Veteran Artist Josh Raulerson

Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.

Medal of Honor is held up.
Biden Will Award Medal of Honor to Army Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Soldiers in Vietnam Firefight

Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.

dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2024 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved