Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a letter expressing his "heartfelt condolences" after U.S. journalist Brent Renaud was killed by Russian forces on Sunday while reporting on refugees.
In the letter, Zelenskyy wrote that Renaud "lost his life while documenting human tragedy, devastation and suffering of the millions of Ukrainians."
I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Brent Renaud who lost his life while documenting the ruthlessness & evil inflicted upon 🇺🇦 people by Russia. May Brent’s life & sacrifice inspire the world to stand up in fight for the forces of light against forces of darkness. pic.twitter.com/bvQjM470OU
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 14, 2022
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the 50-year-old documentary filmmaker died on Sunday in Irpin, a Kyiv suburb that has been the site of intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days. Another journalist was wounded in the attack. Renaud won a litany of prestigious awards for documentary filmmaking including two duPont-Columbia journalism awards.
With his brother Craig, Renaud produced programs for a number of American news and media organizations, including HBO and The New York Times. They won a Peabody for “Last Chance High," a series about at-risk youth in Chicago.