An award-winning American photographer and film-maker has been killed in Ukraine, the New York Times has said.

Brent Renaud was shot dead in Irpin, near Kyiv, on Sunday, Kyiv’s police chief Andriy Nebytov said.

Cliff Levy, deputy managing editor at the New York Times said the newspaper was “deeply saddened” by his death but confirmed he was not on assignment for the New York Times at the time, although he had previously worked for it.

The statement said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud’s death. Brent was a talented photographer and film maker who had contributed to the New York Times over the years.

“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.

“Early reports that he worked for the Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.”