American journalist Brent Renaud was indeed killed in a shelling attack by Russian invaders on Irpin, Kyiv region, The New York Times has said on Sunday.

However, the newspaper specified that the deceased journalist had not been working for it lately and The New York Times press badge he was wearing had been issued for an assignment "many years ago."

"We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented filmmaker 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 an assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago," it said on Twitter.