Radio Liberty producer killed in Kyiv during UN visit

One of the staff members of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was killed in a Russian strike on Kyiv on Friday, during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Radio Liberty journalist and producer Vera Gyrych died as a result of a Russian missile hitting the house where she lived in Kyiv. The attack took place on April 28,” the Ukrainian branch of the news organization said in a statement.

Russia’s defense ministry said on Friday that an air strike with “high-precision” weapons was carried out on Kyiv during Guterres’ visit.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on social media that rescuers had discovered the remains of one person in the rubble after the attack.

The statement said that Gyrych began working at Radio Liberty’s Kyiv’s bureau in early 2018 after spending time in newsrooms with Ukrainian media.

“We fight for freedom of speech. Russia has given itself the freedom to kill,” Klitschko said in a tweet later on Friday.

The editorial board of Radio Liberty expressed its condolences to her family and said it would “remember her as a bright and kind person, a true professional.”

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international media advocacy group, at least seven journalists have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24.