Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was seriously injured in shelling outside of Kyiv on March 14 that killed two of his colleagues, gave his first update on the extent of his injuries in two social media posts Thursday night .
“To sum it up, I lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,” said Hall, a State Department correspondent who was in Ukraine to cover the Russian invasion. “A hand is being put together, an eye isn’t working anymore and my hearing is pretty shattered … but overall I feel pretty damn lucky to be here.” He shared a photo of himself, heavily bandaged and with a patch over his left eye .
He also paid tribute to veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and a Ukrainian fixer for the network Oleksandra Kuvshynova, both of whom were killed. It is not yet clear who was responsible for the shelling, but the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense attributed to the dead then to the Russian armed forces.
“It’s been over three weeks since the attack in Ukraine and I wanted to start sharing everything,” Hall wrote Thursday night. “But first I have to pay tribute to my colleagues Pierre and Sasha who didn’t make it that day. Pierre and I traveled the world together, the work was his joy and his joy was contagious. REST IN PEACE.”
Hours later, both tweets were deleted, but before that they had been shared thousands of times across Twitter, prompting a flood of tributes and sympathy. “You’ve been through hell and you look damn fine @BenjaminHallFNC,” wrote ABC News’ Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl. “Can’t wait to see you back on the air.” Sharing Hall’s update, CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward simply wrote, “Courage.”
Kuvshynova, 24, had worked as a consultant for the network in Ukraine, while Zakrzewski, 55, had helped Fox News cover conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria throughout his long career. Several New York-based Fox News executives recently attended the funeral and wake for Zakrzewski, an Irish citizen, in Dublin.
Fox News had not previously released details about the severity of Hall’s injuries, but initially said on March 14 that he required hospitalization. The team came under fire while reporting a vehicle in Horenka, outside of Kyiv. Two days later, Fox News executive Suzanne Scott informed employees that Hall was “safe” and had been forced out of the country.
Hall was transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and eventually to a Military Medical Center in Texas. “Ben is receiving excellent care as he recovers from his serious injuries after multiple surgeries,” Scott told the staff on March 25th.
Hall has worked for Fox News since 2015 and lives primarily in Washington, DC, according to his company bio. He was pulled from Ukraine with the help of a group called Save Our Allies and Fox News Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin.
Fox News did not immediately respond to inquiries Friday morning.