Two brothers of Fox cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski have spoken of their free spirited brother who loved his job and believed that it was important to reveal the truth of the conflicts he covered.
Nick and Greg Zakrzewski told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that Pierre was very proud of being Irish and the access that gave him. His Irishness was a very important part of his moral make up.
The journalist was working for US network Fox News when the vehicle he was travelling in with British reporter Benjamin Hall was hit, the US broadcaster said.
Mr Hall has been in hospital since the incident, which happened on Monday as the men were working in Horenka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, the network said.
A Ukrainian journalist is also believed to have been killed.
Born in August 1966, Mr Zakrzewski was the second-eldest of six children: four boys and two girls. His mother was French and his father was Polish, and the family lived in Leopardstown, Co Dublin.
He covered conflicts in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and it was a job that suited his personality - “travel, adventure foreign news and seeing humanity at work”.
Pierre's brothers explained that he was the only one of the siblings not born in Dublin as he was born prematurely when their French mother was on a trip to Paris. All the siblings went to school and college in Ireland.
With a Polish father and French mother, they regarded themselves as “a UN family.”
The family first suspected their brother might have been in difficulty when they heard that another Fox journalist Benjamin Hall had been injured on Monday. On Tuesday their sister in London called to say that Pierre’s body had been found in a morgue in Kyiv.
The past few days had been a rollercoaster for the family, they said. It had been heartening to see the high regard in which colleagues held Pierre and the many comments that people felt safe and confident when working with him.
After college their brother had gone travelling, and it was a combination of travel and videography that led him to his career in photojournalism. The family was used to his lifestyle with all the travel, and he always kept in touch with them and with his friends through WhatsApp.
“We thought it was great that he was travelling.”
It was “weird” now having these conversations about their brother. “Normally we would be bouncing off each other.”
Safety concerns
Previously the family had not been concerned about his safety as they were confident that he was not reckless. “You don’t last 30 years in the business if you’re reckless.”
“He looked at the risks in each situation and looked at the best way of managing them.”
After years of freelancing he took the job with Fox “with mixed feelings” about the loss of “a certain amount of independence”, but he had seen the “constant pattern” of media crews being attacked. The job was increasingly difficult for freelancers who did not have security or back up behind them.
The “dodgiest scenarios” according to Pierre were when the frontline was not obvious. When there was a frontline he knew where he was, in Ukraine they did not know where the frontline was. Pierre had spoken to a school friend at the weekend who said he had sounded nervous.
Their brother could not do his job without being involved in helping people, he had assisted many in getting out of Afghanistan and recently he and his crew had found a baby on the street in Kyiv, the baby was alone, so they brought him to a hospital.
When a Sky crew had been attacked recently the family had spoken with Pierre who said he was fine but could not tell them where exactly he was. “He was very good at keeping in contact” and could turn up anywhere at a family gathering.
His nieces and nephews all adored him. “He’s the uncle they all look up to. It wasn’t the job. He’s a free spirit, that’s what’s so attractive about him.”
The family is now coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Fox News and Pierre’s wife Mish about getting his remains out of Ukraine. The plan is for Mish to go to Poland where a cousin will assist.
'Indomitable spirit'
A friend and former classmate of Pierre Zakrzewski has spoken of his indomitable spirit and how he turned his passion for travel and adventure into a career as a cameraman.
Stephen O’Dea told Newstalk Breakfast that Mr Zakrzewski was his “classmate with an exotic name”.
“He was always fun, always driven. He was intrepid. When he left school he wanted to go travelling and to climb Mount Everest, and he did that.”
That's the kind of guy he was. He would prioritise other people.
When he climbed Mount Everest he went higher than anyone else without oxygen and helped other climbers who had got into distress to descend. “That’s the kind of guy he was. He would prioritise other people.”
During the 1990s when Mr O’Dea lived in London Mr Zakrzewski often stayed with him between trips. On his return from Kashmir he had footage which he hoped would highlight what was happening there.
“He wore the things he did casually.”
Mr O’Dea said that because of the many difficult situations their friend had survived “we thought that he was immune to it (danger)".
Tributes
President Michael D Higgins led the tributes to Mr Zakrzewski.
A statement issued by Aras an Uachtarain read: “President Higgins has offered his deepest sympathies to the family of Pierre Zakrzewski, an Irish journalist killed while covering the shelling outside Kyiv.
“The indiscriminate killing of civilians, including journalists, must be brought to an end.
“President Higgins expressed his sympathy to the International Federation of Journalists on the loss of a colleague.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin paid tribute to Mr Zakrzewski on Tuesday.
As a war photographer, Mr Zakrzewski had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria for Fox, according to a memo sent to employees by Suzanne Scott, chief executive of Fox News Media.
Mr Martin said: “Our deepest sympathies go to the family of Pierre Zakrzewski, particularly his family back in Dublin. He was reared for 30 years in Dublin.
“It’s an appalling killing, illustrating again the indiscriminate and barbaric nature of the Russian attack on the citizens of Ukraine. -Additional reporting from Press Association
