Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of attacking reporters. Last month, it said three correspondents from the Izvestia news outlet were injured by shelling in the Donetsk region.

“Boris Maksudov, a military correspondent for the Rossiya 24 TV channel, has died,” Vladimir Solovyev, a prominent presenter on the state-controlled network announced on social media.

News that Maksudov had been wounded in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region was first announced yesterday by the Russian defence ministry, which said his injuries were not life-threatening.

“Boris Maksudov died a hero’s death, like a brave fighter”, said the chief executive officer of the Russian media group Rossia Segodnia, Dmitry Kiselyov, according to the state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova also offered her condolences.

Zaporizhzhia is one of four Ukrainian territories that Russia claimed to have annexed last year, even though its army does not entirely control any of them.

At least 15 media workers apart from Maksudov have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its assault last February, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In May, AFP video journalist Arman Soldin was killed near the eastern Ukraine town of Bakhmut, which Russian forces captured this summer after months of intense fighting.