First foreign journalist dies in Ukraine: who was Brent Renaud - and who was he covering Russia-Ukraine for?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appeared to have entered a new phase over the weekend, with missile attacks spreading to the west of the country and reports that Russian troops were ‘abducting’ elected officials.

President Vladimir Putin’s troops have so far been unable to overcome the resistance of Ukraine’s army, with little prospect of an immediate resolution to the conflict in sight.

The war has been covered extensively by journalists on the ground, such as the BBC’s Clive Myrie and Lyse Doucet.

Some of these reporters have been injured in the fighting, including Sky News’ chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and camera operator Richie Mockler, who were both wounded by Russian troops.

On Sunday (13 March), it was reported that Brent Renaud had become the first foreign journalist to be killed while covering the Ukraine crisis.

So who was Mr Renaud - and what happened to him?

Who was Brent Renaud?

Brent Renaud, 50, was an award-winning US journalist and filmmaker.

He was covering the war in Ukraine as part of a wider piece on the global refugee crisis for TIME Magazine’s video journalism arm.

In a statement, TIME editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and the news publication’s chief operating officer Ian Orefice said they were “devastated” by Mr Renaud’s death.

“Our hearts are with all of Brent’s loved ones,” the pair said.

“It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.”

During his career, Brent Renaud worked for some of the biggest news outlets in the US, including HBO, NBC and The New York Times.

Despite photographs being shared online of Mr Renaud’s New York Times press pass, the news organisation said he had not worked for them since 2015 when he reported on Central American children fleeing poverty and danger.

The journalist, who usually worked alongside his brother Craig, was an experienced war reporter who had covered conflicts across the Arab world, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Libya.

During the Iraq war, the Renauds were embedded with US troops and in 2004 were filming at a base in Baghdad when a rocket attack struck, killing four soldiers and wounding two others.

It is unclear whether Brent Renaud was with his brother when he was killed.

The pair won several notable awards for their work, including a Peabody for a series about a Chicago school they made for VICE News.

They were also nominated for a number of Emmy awards, including for ‘Dope Sick Love’ - a documentary about the drugs epidemic in New York.

New York Times deputy managing editor Cliff Levy described Brent Renaud as “a superb journalist and filmmaker” whose journalism “elevated the voices of the voiceless”.

What happened to Brent Renaud?

Brent Renaud was filming in Irpin at the time of his death.

Irpin is a suburb of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that has been at the centre of fierce fighting for much of the Ukraine conflict, alongside nearby Hostomel airport and the town of Bucha.

Elements of a giant Russian military convoy are believed to be in the area, as Russian forces are attempting to encircle Kyiv.

The Head of Kyiv’s Police Department Andriy Nebytov said Mr Renaud was killed when Russian troops opened fire on a car he was in.

Another American journalist, Juan Arredondo, was injured during the shooting.

In a video posted on Twitter, he tells Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that he and Mr Renaud had been filming refugees attempting to leave Irpin.

He said they were approaching a Russian checkpoint when they were shot at.

Mr Arredondo said Russian troops continued to fire at the vehicle, even as it turned around.

While he was shot in the lower back and taken to hospital, Brent Renaud took a bullet to the neck and was left at the scene.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the incident as "shocking and horrifying" and said the US would impose "appropriate consequences" on Russia as a result of Mr Renaud’s death.

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