Two journalists injured, 1 missing in Russian strike on Ukraine hotel

KYIV: A nighttime Russian strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk wounded two journalists, while a third was missing in the rubble, authorities said Sunday.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional government, said the journalists were British, US and Ukrainian nationals and that a search operation was underway for the missing journalist.

Filashkin said in a Telegram post that the attack happened “in the middle of the night”.

“A hotel was targeted in the city — two people are currently known to be wounded, and one person is under the rubble,” the official said of the incident.

“All three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the US and the UK. In addition to the hotel, a nearby high-rise building was also damaged.”

“Authorities, police and rescuers are working at the scene. The rubble is being cleared and rescue operations are underway,” Filashkin added.

Kramatorsk is the last major city in the Donbas region still under Ukrainian control. It is about 20 kilometres (13 miles) from the war’s 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.