US media outlets report that an American journalist was killed when Russian troops opened fire on his car outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

They quoted Ukrainian authorities on Sunday as saying Brent Renaud came under attack in the town of Irpin, about 20 kilometers west of central Kyiv.

The reports add that another journalist was also wounded in the attack. But details of the assault remain unclear.

Renaud was 50 years old and had worked for leading US media organizations, including The New York Times. A spokesperson for the newspaper said he was "a talented filmmaker" and "we are deeply saddened to hear of" his death.

Renaud won a George Foster Peabody Award in 2014 for a documentary about a school in the US Midwestern city of Chicago.

The organizers say the annual international awards are given to stories that "powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day."