Ukrainian war photographer and documentary maker Maks Levin is found dead near Kyiv after being ‘shot by Russian soldiers’

• Maksym ‘Maks’ Levin was killed by two bullets allegedly fired by Russian military on outskirts of Kyiv on Friday
• 40-year-old’s body was found in the Huta-Mezhyhirska village, sources report
• Levin had been missing since March 13; he leaves behind a wife and four sons

A prominent Ukrainian photojournalist who went missing last month in a combat zone near his country’s capital has been found dead.

Maksym ‘Maks’ Levin, 40, was killed by two bullets allegedly fired by the Russian military on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said in a statement on Saturday.

Mr Levin’s body was found in the Huta-Mezhyhirska village on Friday, according to the news website LB.ua where he worked. 

There had been heavy shelling in that area.

Ukrainian photojournalist Maksym ‘Maks’ Levin (above) who went missing last month in a combat zone near his country’s capital has been found dead

Levin was killed by two bullets allegedly fired by the Russian military on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said in a statement on Saturday. Above is one of the last photos snapped by Levin, who was a long-time contributor to Reuters. It shows a residential building destroyed by shelling in the settlement of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region on March 3

The body of Levin was found in the Huta-Mezhyhirska village on Friday, according to the news website LB.ua where he worked. Above is another of his photos, taken on March 10 – showing members of the Ukrainian forces preparing food near Demydiv, Ukraine

Levin had been missing since March 13, when he contacted his friend from Vyshhorod near Kyiv to report on the fighting in the region. In this photo he took on March 10, locals from the village Chervone, occupied by Russian troops, evacuate to an area controlled by Ukrainian forces

The photographer and documentary maker – who leaves behind his wife and four sons – worked for many Ukrainian and international publications.

He had been missing since March 13, when he contacted his friend from Vyshhorod near Kyiv to report on the fighting in the region.

Levin had contributed to Reuters’ coverage of the country since 2013. 

John Pullman, Reuters’ global managing editor for visuals, said: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Maksim Levin, a long-time contributor to Reuters, in Ukraine.’

‘Maks has provided compelling photos and video from Ukraine to Reuters since 2013. 

‘His death is a huge loss to the world of journalism. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.’

An investigation into Levin’s death has been launched. 

Levin had contributed to Reuters’ coverage of the country since 2013. John Pullman, Reuters’ global managing editor for visuals, said: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Maksim Levin, a long-time contributor to Reuters, in Ukraine’

The news comes as at least three Russian ballistic missiles were fired late Friday at the Odesa region on the Black Sea, regional leader Maksim Marchenko said. 

The Ukrainian military said the Iskander missiles did not hit the critical infrastructure they targeted in Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port and the headquarters of its navy.

Ukraine’s state nuclear agency reported a series of blasts Saturday that injured four people in Enerhodar, a city in southeastern Ukraine that has been under Russian control since early March along with the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Ukrainian officials also reported that the death toll from a Russian rocket strike Tuesday on a government building in Mykolaiv, a port city east of Odesa, had risen to 33, with a further 34 people wounded. 

The confirmed death toll has risen steadily as the search and rescue operation continues.

As the war dragged on, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday night it is providing an additional $300 million in arms to Ukrainian forces, including laser-guided rocket systems, unmanned aircraft, armored vehicles, night vision devices and ammunition. 

An investigation into Levin’s death has been launched. In this photograph he snapped on March 10, a Ukrainian soldier hides from a helicopter airstrike near Demydiv

Also included are medical supplies, field equipment and spare parts.

There was no immediate word Saturday on the latest round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, which took place Friday by video. 

During a round of talks earlier in the week, Ukraine said it would be willing to abandon a bid to join NATO and declare itself neutral – Moscow’s chief demand – in return for security guarantees from several other countries.

On Friday, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil.

Ukraine denied responsibility for the fiery blast at the civilian oil storage facility on the outskirts of the city of Belgorod, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Ukraine border. 

If Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it would be the war’s first known attack in which Ukrainian aircraft penetrated Russian airspace.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, said on Ukrainian television: ‘For some reason they say that we did it, but in fact this does not correspond with reality.’ 

Later, in an interview with American TV channel Fox News, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to say whether Ukraine was behind the attack.

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