Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski killed in Ukraine

A Fox News cameraman was killed alongside a Ukrainian colleague on Monday in Ukraine when the vehicle they were traveling in came under fire in the same attack which left a British journalist seriously injured, the network confirmed Tuesday. 

Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, an Irish citizen based in London, and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova, were covering Russian’s invasion of Ukraine when their vehicle was hit in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine.

Kuvshynova’s death was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. 

It is believed the pair were traveling in the same vehicle as 39-year-old British journalist Benjamin Hall, who also works for Fox News.

‘It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski,’ Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott wrote in an email to staff on Tuesday. 

‘Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Pierre was with Benjamin Hall yesterday newsgathering when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.’ 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed Zakrzewski’s killing at the press conference on Tuesday, saying ‘He is someone who has served in many war zones over the course of time. Our thoughts, our prayers are with his family, with the entire community as well.’  

Pierre Zakrzewski (left) and Oleksandra Kuvshynova (center) were killed in Ukraine while they were traveling in a vehicle involved in the same attack which left a British journalist injured

Fox cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski (left) was killed and reporter Benjamin Hall seriously injured when the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by incoming fire, the network confirmed

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin responded to the news of Zakrzewski’s death, stating that he is ‘deeply disturbed and saddened by the killing of Irish citizen and journalist Pierre Zakrzewski.’

‘My thoughts are with their families, friends and fellow journalists. We condemn this indiscriminate and immoral war by Russia on #Ukraine.’  

Fox News also announced on Monday that Hall, the British reporter who was with Zakrzewski, had been injured in the attack and remains hospitalized, but said they have a ‘minimal level of details.’  

‘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,’ Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York, tweeted Tuesday. 

‘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.’ 

News of Monday’s attack comes just after American reporter Brent Renaud was killed on Sunday when Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle.   

During comments at a press event in Washington Tuesday, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, thanked reporters who are on the ground in Ukraine.

‘Risking their lives to tell the world the truth’ is something that Ukraine and the world desperately need, she said at the National Press Club.’ 

Zakrzewski had been covering Russian’s invasion of Ukraine when he was killed

Zakrzewski (pictured here with Steve Harrington and two senior field producers) was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure 

Fox News’ tribute to veteran combat cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, who was killed during attack in Ukraine

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news this morning regarding our beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski.

Pierre was killed in Horenka, outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. Pierre was with Benjamin Hall yesterday newsgathering when their vehicle was struck by incoming fire.

Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us. 

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. 

He was profoundly committed to telling the story and his bravery, professionalism and work ethic were renowned among journalists at every media outlet.

Last year, he played a key role in getting Fox’s Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the US withdrawal. 

Pierre was given the ‘Unsung Hero’ award in recognition of his invaluable work. 

Jay Wallace said it best this morning – ‘Pierre was a constant in all of our international coverage. I, like countless others, always felt an extra sense of reassurance when arriving on the scene and seeing him with camera in hand. The legacy of his positive spirit, boundless energy and eye for the story will carry on.’  

Please keep them all in your prayers. And continue to pray for Benjamin Hall, who remains hospitalized in Ukraine. 

 -Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott

‘Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered nearly every international story for Fox News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us,’ Scott continued.  

She added that Zakrzewski had been working in Ukraine since February, and was based in London. His nationality is not known. 

Zakrzewski was described as a network veteran whose ‘passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched.’

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. 

He was profoundly committed to telling the story ad his bravery, professionalism and work ethic were renowned among journalists at every media outlet. He was wildly popular — everyone in the media industry who has covered a foreign story knew and respected Pierre.’  

Scott also said that Zakrzewski played a key role in getting Fox’s Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the US withdrawal. 

Zakrzewski was awarded the ‘Unsung Hero’ prize at Fox’s annual employee Spotlight Awards last December ‘in recognition of his invaluable work’, she added.  

Zakrzewski, was on assignment with Benjamin Hall, a British journalist working for Fox News, who was seriously injured in Monday’s attack after being hit in the legs by shrapnel. 

Hall, 39, a married father-of-three from London who has worked for the US television network since 2015, was being treated in intensive care in hospital. 

Scott told staff in a memo that bosses have a ‘minimal level of details’ and teams on the ground were working to find out more on what happened.

‘Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network and his loss is devastating,’ Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer said on the air Tuesday.  

‘He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend,’ Hemmer added. ‘We here at the Fox News Channel want to offer our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family. Pierre Zakrzewski was only 55 years old, and we miss him already.’ 

Tributes have poured in for Zakrzewski from Fox News colleagues, who described him as ‘an absolute legend’ who ‘never stopped wanting to help’. 

‘I don’t know what to say,’ Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst wrote. ‘Pierre was as good as they come. Selfless. Brave. Passionate. I’m so sorry this happened to you. 

Clarissa Ward, CNN’s chief international correspondent, wrote on Twitter Tuesday that she had ‘the great privilege’ of having worked with Zakrzewski and ‘the even greater privilege of calling him a friend.’

‘An extraordinary spirit and tremendous talent and one of the kindest, most gracious colleagues on the road,’ Ward wrote on Twitter. ‘Absolutely heartbreaking.’

Pierre Zakrzewski (left) and Benjamin Hall (right) worked together in Kabul for Fox last year

Fellow journalists, including Fox News’ Trey Yingst (pictured) tweeted tributes of Zakrzewski upon hearing of his death

Fox News weather reporter Max Gorden said: ‘Gutting news. My thoughts are with Pierre Zakrzewski’s family. By all accounts Pierre was an incredible photographer and great human. Wishing safety for all the crews risking their lives in Ukraine.’

And Fox security correspondent Jen Griffin added: ‘Such a fine man. Such a good friend. Such a fantastic war photographer and so much more. RIP Pierre Zakrzewski.’ 

Zakrzewski was no stranger to war zones as he covered international stories for decades in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan. 

Armed with a his camera, Zakrzewski and his crew hiked through dangerous mountain valleys and rode along with servicemen in Humvees on rough trails along the deadly borderlands between Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a Reporter’s Notebook written by Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Greg Palkot for Fox News.  

They dropped to mountaintops from helicopters and endured 110-degree heat in dusty isolated outposts. ‘All while being shot at by an unrelenting foe,’ Palkot wrote. 

In Syria, Zakrzewski and Palkot witnessed as blasts turned towns to rubble and bodies were thrown into mass graves. 

‘When we walked into the neighborhood, people were wary,’ they wrote. ‘If you show up as a stranger with a camera, they think you’re government. Refused comments, under breath expletive, hands to lens. But some folks show the well-known warmth of the Syrian people.’  

Benjamin Hall, 39, has been reporting for Fox News from Ukraine on the Russian invasion was injured in Monday’s attack outside of Kyiv

Benjamin Hall is a married father-of-three from London who has worked for Fox since 2015

Rescuers work next to a residential building damaged by shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, this week

Hall, the reporter who was with Zakrzewski during Monday’s attack, is being treated for his injuries in intensive care. 

He has worked for the New York-based network since 2015 and has a wife and three daughters in London. 

Hall is a dual citizen of Britain and the US and covers the US State Department for Fox News.  

The journalist has also worked for the BBC, ITN and Channel 4 and written for The Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and Agence France Presse. 

Hall has three young daughters with his wife Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman whom he married in 2015. Other staff from Fox News remain in Ukraine to report on the war which began on February 24. 

‘The safety of our entire our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and of the utmost importance,’ Scott said in the memo on Monday following the attack.

‘This is a stark reminder for all journalists who are putting their lives on the line every day to deliver the news from a war zone. We will update everyone as we know more. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers.’

The State Department Correspondents’ Association said in a statement that it was ‘horrified to learn that our fellow correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured as he covered the Ukraine war.’

‘We know Ben for his warmth, good humor and utmost professionalism,’ it said. ‘We wish Ben a quick recovery and call for utmost efforts to protect journalists who are providing an invaluable service through their coverage in Ukraine.’ 

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