2 Fox News team members in Ukraine were killed in an attack

A veteran video journalist for Fox News, Pierre Zakrzewski, and freelance journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova were killed outside Kyiv after the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by incoming fire on Monday, the network has announced.

Zakrzewski, who was an Irish citizen, had repeatedly covered conflict in the field for Fox News — including in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. He was 55 years old.

In a memo to staff, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott hailed what she called Zakrzewski's unmatched talent and passion.

"His talents were vast and there wasn't a role that he didn't jump in to help with in the field — from photographer to engineer to editor to producer — and he did it all under immense pressure with tremendous skill," she said.

Scott praised him for his work behind the scenes to help Fox's Afghan freelancers get safely out of Afghanistan after U.S. forces withdrew from that country.

In a separate memo to staff, Scott said Kuvshynova, also called "Sasha," was serving as a consultant for Fox News in Ukraine. She was 24.

Scott described Kuvshynova as "incredibly talented" and said she was helping Fox News crews get around Kyiv and the neighboring areas, gather information and speak to sources.

"Our team in Ukraine tells me that Sasha had a passion for music, the arts and photography and was a joy to work with. Several of our correspondents and producers spent long days with her reporting the news and got to know her personally, describing her as hard-working, funny, kind and brave," Scott said.

"Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories and she fulfilled that through her journalism," she added.

Scott said the network didn't announce the news earlier out of respect for Kuvshynova's family.

The Military Reporters & Editors Association said in a statement that it was mourning the loss of the pair.

"The world is a lesser place without these champions for the truth," the association said. "We once again call for the protection of journalists in Ukraine to be able to do their important work without fear of violence or intimidation."

The Fox News reporter accompanying them, correspondent Benjamin Hall, remains hospitalized in Ukraine. Hall's condition has not been disclosed.

On the air, Hall rejected claims by Fox host Greg Gutfeld that Western media outlets were exaggerating conditions in Ukraine to generate an emotional reaction against Russia's invasion. Hall called it "an absolute catastrophe."

On Sunday a U.S. journalist, documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, was killed in fighting in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv. Juan Arredondo, a journalist who was with Renaud at the time, was wounded in the incident.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.