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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Daniel Keane

Ukraine: Terrifying moment Sky News crew are shot at by ‘Russian assassins’

Harrowing footage shows the moment a Sky News crew came under fire as they were ambushed in Ukraine.

Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay was hit by a bullet in the lower back as shooting rained down on a car carrying his crew towards Kyiv on Monday.

Camera operator Richie Mockler was also hit with two rounds to his body armour before the team managed to escape and take cover. The team were later rescued by Ukrainian police.

A shocking clip published by Sky News on Friday evening showed the team coming under heavy fire, with glass smashing around them.

It is thought that the attack was carried out by a saboteur Russian reconnaissance squad.

Mr Ramsay said his team had been heading for the town of Bucha, where they were intending to learn more about the destruction of a Russian convoy by the Ukrainian army the previous day.

Despite their destination only being around 30 kilometres from capital Kyiv, Mr Ramsay said their trip was held up by road closures and redirections.

It was suggested at the last Ukrainian checkpoint that they should not proceed any further, and the team decided to head back to the city centre, re-entering from a different direction.

After getting the go-ahead from a police officer to take a road to Kyiv, Mr Ramsay said they proceeded cautiously towards an intersection.

It was then that, “out of nowhere”, there was a “small explosion”. Mr Ramsay said a tyre burst, the car stopped, and “our world turned upside down”.

Recalling the attack, he wrote: “The first round cracked the windscreen. Then we were under full attack.

“Bullets cascaded through the whole of the car… the steering wheel and dashboard had disintegrated. I do recall wondering if my death was going to be painful.”

He added: “Richie says I then got out of the car and stood up, before jogging to the edge of the embankment and then started running. I lost my balance and fell to the bottom, landing like a sack of potatoes, cutting my face. My armour and helmet almost certainly saved me.”

Boris Johnson has praised British journalists putting themselves in “terrifying and dangerous situations” in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said on Twitter: “The courage of these journalists, putting themselves in terrifying and dangerous situations, is astonishing to watch.

“They’re risking their lives to ensure that the truth is told.

“Free press will not be intimidated or cowed by barbaric and indiscriminate acts of violence.”

The Sky News crew has now arrived back in the UK, while producer Andrii Lytvynenko is with his family in Ukraine.

The team eventually made it to a factory unit, where they took cover before being rescued by Ukrainian authorities.

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