After coming under fire in Kyiv, a British journalist reporting the conflict in Ukraine was shot and wounded.
Stuart Ramsay, the lead journalist for Sky News, and his four colleagues were ambushed while travelling back to Kiev.
A gunshot struck Ramsay in the lower back as they attempted to flee the car, while camera operator Richie Mockler took two shots to his body armour.
They were told the attack was carried out by a Russian surveillance unit.
On Friday, Russian forces increased their bombardment, with heavy shelling and attacks on high-rise apartment complexes, a clinic, and a hospital.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauded the Sky News crew’s bravery, saying they were putting their lives on the line so “the truth could be spoken.”
“Barbaric and indiscriminate acts of violence will not scare or cow the free press,” he stated in a tweet.
The journalists were attacked on Monday as they returned to Kyiv after cancelling a trip to another town because to safety concerns.
Producers Dominique Van Heerden, Martin Vowles, and Andrii Lytvynenko worked alongside Mr Ramsay and camera operator Richie Mockler.
While still under fire, the team exited the automobile and took refuge inside a manufacturing building before being rescued by Ukrainian police.
According to Ramsay, a little explosion occurred out of nowhere, the automobile came to a halt, and rounds of bullets began slamming into the vehicle.
“We realised we had to get out if we were going to survive,” he added, “but the incoming fire was tremendous.”
Two producers were the first to go, followed by another producer, Ramsay, and the camera operator.
“I remember worrying if my dying would be painful. After that, I was struck in the lower back. I screamed, ‘I’ve been hit!’
“However, what surprised me was how little it hurt. It felt more like I was being punched.”
“It was unusual, but I felt extremely calm,” Ramsay, who is now back in the UK, said. I had my helmet on and was ready to flee when I came to a halt and, unbelievably, reached back into a shelf at the entryway and collected my phones and press card.
“Richie claims that after getting out of the car and standing up, I jogged to the edge of the embankment and then began running.” I lost my footing and crashed to the ground, hitting like a sack of potatoes, slashing my face. “It’s almost certain that my armour and helmet saved my life.”
According to Ramsay, “The point is that we were extremely fortunate. Thousands of Ukrainians are dying, and families are being targeted by Russian assassination squads in the same way that we were ambushed while driving in a family saloon. This war seems to be getting worse by the day.”
The BBC stated on Friday that its journalists would be temporarily suspended from working in Russia, in reaction to a new rule that threatens to jail anyone who Russia believes has promoted “false” news among the armed forces. CNN and Bloomberg News then followed suit.
Russia had previously restricted access to BBC websites, although BBC News in Russian will continue to be published from outside the country.
Ukraine war: Sky News journalist Stuart Ramsay and team shot at in ambush