US journalist shot dead in Ukraine

"We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," The Times said in a statement posted on Twitter by its spokesperson on Sunday.

"Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine," it said.

"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."

Nyebytov said that Renaud was shot by Russian forces in Irpin, but did not give details of the incident. He did not identify the wounded journalist.

"Another journalist was wounded. We are currently trying to take the victim out of the combat zone," he said in a statement.