American filmmaker, former NY Times contributor killed when Russian forces open fire on journalists

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An American journalist and documentary filmmaker was reportedly killed by Russian forces Sunday while filming Ukrainian refugees crossing a Ukrainian-held checkpoint, prompting some angry Americans to demand President Joe Biden take action.

Brent Renaud, 51, described as both a former contributor to The New York Times and an award-winning filmmaker, died when “Russian forces opened fire on a car with foreign journalists inside,” according to The Independent.

At least one other unnamed journalist sustained injuries requiring hospital care but survived.

The injured survivor told reporters that they’d been “filming refugees leaving [the Ukrainian city of] Iprin,” as reported below by several journalists:

In a statement, The New York Times expressed sadness over Renaud’s death but rebutted rumors that Renaud had been a current contributor who’d been on assignment at the time of his death.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud’s death. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

“Though he had contributed to The Times in the past, he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.”

What remains unclear is how the U.S. government will respond to this stunning provocation.

Recall that during a Feb. 15th press conference, President Joe Biden said, “We are not seeking direct confrontation with Russia, though I have been clear that if Russia targets Americans in Ukraine, we will respond forcefully.”

Listen:

And indeed, calls are already emerging for the president to “finally” “act” and hold Russia responsible for its recent wave of violence.

Look:

Yet the Biden administration appears to have been caught off guard.

Questioned about Renaud’s death on CNN’s “State of the Union,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed genuine surprise.

“I’ve just had the opportunity to hear about it as I was coming on air, so I will have to consult with my colleagues, and with our allies and partners, and with the Ukrainians on the ground to learn more about what happened. But if in fact an American journalist was killed, it is a shocking and horrifying event,” he said.

“It is one more example of the brutality of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and his forces as they targeted schools and mosques and hospitals and journalists, and it is why we are working so hard to impose severe consequences on him and to try to help the Ukrainians with every form of military assistance we can muster to be able to push back against the onslaught of these Russian forces.”

But as noted by a growing chorus of angry critics, the administration’s so-called “severe consequences” don’t appear to be working …

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