Ukraine war: Two foreign aid workers die in Russian missile strike

Ukraine's defence ministry said Anthony Ihnat and Emma Iqual would 'forever live in our hearts'

Two foreign aid volunteers have been killed and two others injured in a Russian missile attack in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has said.

Emma Igual, the Spanish director of Road to Relief, and Anthony Ihnat, a Canadian colleague, died on Saturday as their vehicle drove towards Bakhmut.

The NGO said that German volunteer Ruben Mawick and Johan Mathias Thyr, a Swede, were badly injured by shrapnel.

The group said the vehicle suffered a "direct hit", flipped and caught fire.

The aid workers had left from Slovyansk and were headed to the Bakhmut area to assess the needs of civilians "caught in crossfire" in the town of Ivanivske, the statement said.

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Madrid confirmed that a Spanish national had died in the attack.

Road to Relief was registered in Ukraine last year to help evacuate civilians from the frontline.

It said that the team was preparing to assess the needs of Ivanivske when they were attacked by Russian forces.

Their work had "resulted in numerous evacuations and crucial aid deliveries over the 18 months that we have been in operation," it said.

Mr Ihnat was described in an online tribute by fellow NGO Actions Beyond Words as "an unbelievably gentle, kind guy who would light up any room".

"We remember a beautiful hero to Ukraine," it said.

The Ukrainian defence ministry blamed "Russian terrorists" for the attack and said that Road to Relief was "entirely focused on civilian projects".

It said the deaths were "a painful, irreparable loss. Emma and Anthony will forever be in our hearts."

Eastern Ukraine has become increasingly dangerous for aid workers, both Ukrainian and international.

In its latest report, published last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that there had been 100 "security incidents" affecting aid work this year.

"Attacks impacting distribution points have steadily increased throughout the year, forcing a temporary suspension of aid on many occasions," it said.

"In 2023, at least six aid workers were killed and 16 injured in the line of duty in Ukraine, compared to four killed in the whole of 2022."

In January, British nationals Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw were killed as they tried to evacuate civilians in Soledar, north of Bakhmut, as Russia's Wagner mercenary group closed in.