An Italian appeals court on Tuesday acquitted a Ukrainian man who was sentenced to 24 years in jail last year over his alleged role in the 2014 killing of an Italian photographer covering fighting in eastern Ukraine. Journalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian colleague Andrey Mironov died after they were hit by mortar fire near the town of Slaviansk as they were covering fighting between pro-Russian separatist forces and Ukrainian troops. Italian prosecutors said Vitaliy Markiv, a volunteer fighter with the Ukrainian forces at the time, had taken part in the deadly attack and accused him of being an accessory to murder.