Sun defence editor Jerome Starkey and British Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall joined News Corp chairman and Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine.
Hall was seriously wounded reporting from outside Kyiv in March 2022 when the vehicle he was moving in was attacked by Russian forces. He lost both his feet and the use of an eye in the attack, which killed his colleagues Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Kuvshinova.
At least ten journalists have been killed so far whilst reporting on the war in Ukraine since February 2022.
Ukrainian president Zelensky thanked media representatives for their comprehensive coverage of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression and for exposing Russian atrocities despite the risks to themselves.
He said: “All this time, journalists, cameramen, editors, photographers, drivers have been on the frontline. As this is a hybrid war, information is also a weapon in Russian hands.
“My sincere condolences to the families and friends of those very brave men and women who lost their lives trying to show what is happening in Ukraine. In particular, it is thanks to journalists from many countries that we now have such support in the world.”
He awarded Hall with the Order of Merit third class for his outstanding contribution and thanked Lachlan Murdoch for his visit.
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Murdoch was also briefed on the security situation by Ukrainian political and military chiefs and lay flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of the defenders of Ukraine.
Starkey has led The Sun’s frontline coverage of the Ukraine war.
In an interview with Starkey published in The Sun today, Zelensky spoke of the many plots to kill him by Russia, how he is not yet ready to compromise on giving territory to Russia and how elections scheduled for next year will not happen.
Rupert Murdoch last week handed over the leadership of News Corp to his son Lachlan as he moved from the role of chairman to chairman emeritus.
Murdoch senior said: “Like my father, I believe that humanity has a ‘high destiny’, and Lachlan certainly shares that belief. That sense of destiny is not just a blessing but a responsibility.”
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