Clive Myrie appears to have attempted quashing the rumour that he was the victim of a racist attack while reporting in Ukraine in February 2022 which led to him being teary on live TV and was subsequently pulled out of the country.
The BBC News reporter has spoken out after a rumour began circulating on social media platform Tiktok that he was beaten by a gang of Ukrainians while reporting from the warzone, claiming the attack had been covered up by the BBC for fear it will turn the world’s support for Ukraine.
Myrie, 58, tweeted: “How fascinating to see a lie, fly! Don’t you just love bots!!”
One of his followers commented: “I assumed this tweet meant the story was not true.”
Myrie responded: “What bit of that tweet did you correctly understand, that others didn’t do you think?”
The Mastermind host was in Ukraine, reporting on the Russian invasion as it unfolded in February 2022.
In June last year Myrie was reportedly involved in an armoured vehicle crash in Ukraine, and his vehicle was said to have overturned.
The reporter, who has not spoken about the crash was thought to have hurt his head and returned to London to present BBC News and the BBC Proms coverage, with no obvious injuries.
On 24 February, the day that Russia invaded Ukraine, Myrie reported for the BBC News at 10 live from Kyiv and viewers spotted a tear falling down his cheek.
Myrie reflected afterwards that having reported on previous Russian conflicts he could foresee that “it was going to be a horrible, horrible war”.
He continued: “It had been an emotional day, and I was standing on the rooftop of the hotel where we were broadcasting and it was frankly windy, it was windy.
Myrie is due to return to Kyiv for the anniversary of the war breaking out, and speak to the people he met one year on.