Journalist Shot By Russian Troops Says 'Lucky' To Be Alive Despite Losing Limbs

KEY POINTS

Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was outside Kyiv when he was attacked
Russian troops had opened fire at their vehicle
His two colleagues, who were with him at the time, died in the shooting incident

A journalist, who was seriously injured after being shot at by Russian troops outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said he was “pretty damn lucky” to be alive despite losing limbs in the conflict.

Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was reporting on the war when the incident took place.

“To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other. One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown… but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here – and it is the people who got me here who are amazing!” Hall posted, in a since-deleted tweet, along with a photo of himself Thursday evening.

In the photo, Hall was reportedly seen wearing a patch over his left eye, the New York Post reported. The picture was taken while he was lying on a hospital bed.

It remains unclear why the tweet was deleted.

Hall revealed he was traveling inside a vehicle on March 14 alongside cameraman and friend Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and a Ukrainian fixer, journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova, 24, when Russian troops opened fire at the car. Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova died of their wounds, but Hall luckily survived. He was later transported to a hospital in Texas, where he underwent several surgeries, the New York Post reported.

In another tweet, which was also removed from his profile for unknown reasons, Thursday, Hall paid his respects to his two colleagues who lost their lives.

“It’s been over three weeks since the attack in Ukraine and I wanted to start sharing it all. But first I need to pay tribute to my colleagues Pierre and Sasha who didn’t make it that day,” he wrote. “Pierre and I traveled the world together, working was his joy and his joy was infectious. RIP.”

Last week, Ukraine said photographer and documentary maker Maks Levin was found dead near the capital Kyiv after going missing two weeks ago. It is believed he was killed by the Russian army, the Moscow Times reported, citing AFP.

"He went missing in the conflict area on March 13 in the Kyiv region. His body was found near the village of Guta Mezhygirska on April 1," presidential aide Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.

Reporters Without Borders, a non-profit organization that works to protect journalists, said on Twitter that Levin was the sixth journalist killed in Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24.