A Ukrainian photographer and journalist who was documenting the Russian invasion and contributed to Reuters has been found killed during the conflict.
Maksim Levin had been working near to Kyiv, covering the war for news website LB.ua when he went reportedly went missing over two weeks ago.
But the married dad of four was found dead in a village north of the capital on Saturday (April 2) according to the news site.
'Maks' had been a long-time contributor to esteemed international news agency, Reuters, which was founded in London UK.
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."
Born in 1981, Maksim was a documentary film maker who had contributed to Reuters' coverage of the country since 2013.
He had been working in the village of Huta Mezhyhirska where there had been heavy shelling.
The prosecutor general's office in Ukraine said Levin was "killed by servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces with two shots
from small arms", but this could not be independently verified.
The NGO Reporters Without Borders, which works to protect journalists, had already voiced concerns on March 22 over Maksim's disappearance.
It said on Twitter that Levin was the sixth journalist killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded late in February.
“He was unarmed and wearing a press jacket,” it said. “Targeting journalists is a war crime.”
Russia denies targeting civilians in what President Vladimir Putin calls a "special military operation" aimed at demilitarising and "denazifying" Ukraine.
Ukraine calls it an unprovoked war of aggression and Western countries have imposed sweeping sanctions in an effort to squeeze Russia's economy.
In encircled Mariupol, Russia's main target in Ukraine's south-eastern region of Donbas, tens of thousands of civilians remained trapped with scant access to food and water.
A convoy of about 54 Ukrainian buses and other private vehicles, accompanied by a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was renewing its attempt to organise a mass evacuation from the city after turning back on Friday.
ICRC spokesperson Ewan Watson said the team had not yet reached Mariupol, adding they left the city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday morning and would spend the night en-route.
