The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that Colonel General Alexei Kim, a deputy chief of Russia's General Staff, approved the strike that killed Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans and wounded two of the agency's journalists on August 24.
Ryan Evans, killed in a missile strike on a hotel in Ukraine, was a safety adviser whose wealth of combat experience and professional manner made him indispensable to Reuters' coverage of wars and an unfailing source of support for many journalists — Reuters (@Reuters) https://t.co/v1Uw36RfXT 1/6 pic.twitter.com/pL2RNBGpibAugust 28, 2024
In a statement posted on Telegram messenger, the SBU said it was notifying Kim in absentia that he was an official suspect in its investigation into the strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk, a step in Ukrainian criminal proceedings that can later lead to charges.
In a separate, 15-page notice of suspicion, in which the SBU set out findings from its investigation, the agency said that the decision to fire the missile was made "with the motive of deliberately killing employees of the international news agency Reuters who were engaged in journalistic activities in Ukraine".
The document, which was published on the website of the General Prosecutor's Office on Friday, said that Kim had received intelligence that Reuters staff were staying in Kramatorsk.
It added that Kim would have been "fully aware that the individuals were civilians and not participating in the armed conflict".
The Russian defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the SBU's findings and has not replied to previous questions about the attack.
The Kremlin also did not respond to a request for comment.
Kim did not reply to messages sent by Reuters to his mobile telephone seeking comment about the SBU's statement and whether the strike deliberately targeted Reuters staff.
The SBU did not provide evidence to support its claims, nor say why Russia targeted Reuters.
In response to questions from the news agency, the security agency declined to provide further details, saying its criminal investigation was still underway and it was therefore not able to disclose such information.
Reuters has not independently confirmed any of the SBU's claims.
Reuters said on Friday: "We note the news today from the Ukrainian security services regarding the missile attack on August 24, 2024, on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk, a civilian target more than 20km from Russian-occupied territory."
"The strike had devastating consequences, killing our safety adviser, Ryan Evans, and injuring members of our editorial team. We continue to seek more information about the attack. It is critically important for journalists to be able to report freely and safely," the statement said.
Reuters declined to comment further on the allegation that its staff were deliberately targeted.
The SBU statement said Kim had been named a suspect under two articles of the Ukrainian criminal code: waging an aggressive war and violating the laws and customs of war.
"It was Kim who signed the directive and gave the combat order to fire on the hotel, where only civilians were staying," it said.
Evans, a 38-year-old former British soldier who had worked as a safety adviser for Reuters since 2022, was killed instantly in the strike.
The SBU statement gave some details about how the strike had occurred, according to its investigation.
"To carry out the attack, the Russian colonel general involved one of his subordinate missile forces units," the Ukrainian agency said, adding that the strike was carried out with an Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The SBU did not identify the specific unit.
Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey, a videographer for the news agency who was in a room across the corridor, was seriously wounded.
Kyiv-based text correspondent Dan Peleschuk was also injured.
The remaining three members of the Reuters team escaped with minor cuts and scratches.
