Ben Hall on ‘emotional’ return to Ukraine: ‘Journalism must never stop’
FOX News correspondent Benjamin Hall discusses his visit to Ukraine for the first time since he was injured and previews his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, airing Tuesday on ‘Special Report.’
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was catastrophically injured while covering the Ukraine war in early 2022. More than a year later, the war correspondent visited Ukraine over the weekend for the first time since the attack.
Hall shared details from his "emotional weekend" and highlights from his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which will air Tuesday evening on "Special Report."
"It's been a really emotional weekend for me and I think this trip had two sole purposes. One of them was really just to show everyone that, no matter if you get knocked down, you pick yourself up and you keep going. And I wanted to go back to Ukraine since the attack happened, and that's what this weekend was about," Hall said on "FOX & Friends" Tuesday.
Hall was with Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova, who were both killed after their vehicle was struck by incoming fire in Horenka, outside Kyiv, in March of 2022. Hall survived but was severely injured.
"But aside from that, and aside from remembering Peter and Sasha, who died, the news angle was fascinating as well."
Hall’s return trip was organized by FOX Corporation Executive Chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch after he was invited to visit the country by Zelenskyy.
"[Zelenskyy] laid it out in full. He didn't hold back at all," Hall shared. "He talked about the U.S., the lack of funding from Congress, about the lack of potential support from Americans. He talked about how Israel had really taken the eyes of the world away from Ukraine, and he thinks that this is a critical moment. He said that Russia may have pushed the world to the brink of World War III, and if Ukraine isn't supported enough, there's real concern that that could go on."
During the interview, Zelenskyy also expressed his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova.
"I wanted to say my condolences to all the parents, relatives of those very brave guys, men and women who lost their lives, because they really wanted to help Ukraine. [The] history of Ukraine will never forget such brave people," Zelenskyy said during the interview.
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall returned to Ukraine over the weekend for the first time since the attack that left him catastrophically injured in March 2022. He sat down with President Zelenskyy for an interview that will air Tuesday on "Special Report with Bret Baier."
Hall himself has been through roughly 30 surgeries since the horrific injury, enduring the loss of his leg on one side of his body and a foot on the other. He also no longer has function of one hand and only has one working eye.
"I was so badly injured and I just held it together. And as I went in this time, it felt like I was coming full circle again," he said. "I felt that I was finishing off that whole story and I was going back into where it happened."
Hall chronicled his journey in "Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make it Home," which was published in March and became a New York Times bestseller. A documentary based on Hall’s harrowing ordeal aired on Fox News Channel after the release of the book, detailing his extraction from Ukraine and the arduous recovery that ensued.
Despite Hall's injuries, he has preserved and remained dedicated to his role as a journalist, and never forgetting the work and legacy of Sasha and Pierre.
"It just reminds everyone that journalism must never stop. We must keep going back, no matter how difficult it might be," Hall told host Brian Kilmeade.
During his trip, Hall met with other Ukrainian officials and soldiers who helped in his evacuation last year. Zelenskyy awarded Hall the Order of Merit for his "outstanding personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation, support for Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity."
While speaking with Zelenskyy, Hall covered a number of topics related to the ongoing war with Russia, U.S. aid and dwindling support among Americans. Hall also spoke with the Ukrainian Minister of Defense and Minister of Intelligence during the trip.
"We spoke to a lot of them just about the full scale of the war. And it really is ... A war that is going on every single second and the families that are being destroyed and how Russia has already shown plans to move forward, moving to the Balkans, moving to Moldova," Hall said.
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Hall and Zelenskyy further unpack the war and dissect other topics relating to his leadership and world politics on "Special Report with Brett Baier" Tuesday, which airs at 6 p.m. ET.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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