UPDATE: Journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova was killed in Ukraine in the same incident that killed cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski on Monday, Fox News announced in a memo Tuesday. Kuvshynova was 24 and Zakrzewski was 55.
Kuvshynova was working as a freelance consultant for Fox News in Ukraine, helping find sources and gathering information. Zakrzewski was a cameraman for Fox News.
Zakrzewski, Kuvshynova and Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall were reporting in Horenka, outside of Kyvi, Ukraine, when their vehicle came under fire. Hall remains hospitalized in Ukraine.
“[Sasha] was incredibly talented and spent weeks working directly with our entire team there, operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country. 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. Her dream was to connect people around the world and tell their stories and she fulfilled that through her journalism,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said in a memo.
“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 passion and talent as a journalist were unmatched. Based in London, Pierre had been working in Ukraine since February. 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. He was wildly popular — everyone in the media industry who has covered a foreign story knew and respected Pierre,” Scott said in a memo. “Last year he played a key role in getting our Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal,” the memo said. “In December at our annual employee Spotlight Awards, Pierre was given the ‘Unsung Hero’ award in recognition of his invaluable work.”
Zakrzewski also received an on-air tribute on Fox News Tuesday morning: “Pierre Zakrzewski was an absolute legend at this network and his loss is devastating. He has been with us for years covering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Syria. Our CEO, Suzanne Scott, noted a few moments ago that Pierre jumped in to help out with all sorts of roles in the field — photographer, engineer, editor and producer and he did it all under immense pressure and with tremendous skill. The president of Fox, Jay Wallace, says that everyone always felt an extra sense of reassurance when they arrived on the scene, and they saw that Pierre was there. He was a professional, he was a journalist, and he was a friend. 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.”