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A Dangerous Assignment - Journalists Report From Ukraine

October 8, 2024

People should know what is happening in Ukraine. That's the motivation for journalists and photographers who are reporting from the war-torn country - and risking their lives in the process.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jqNi
Ukraine | ZDF Dokumentation Gefährlicher Einsatz
Image: ZDF
Elisabeth sits at her desk with her laptop open
Elisabeth, 29 years old, was surprised by the war during her studies in Kyiv and began reporting.Image: ZDF

Elisabeth, 29, had no training as a war reporter. But overnight, she became one. When Russia suddenly launched its major invasion in February 2022, she was studying Slavic Studies in Kyiv. In parallel, she had started working as a freelance journalist. 

Reporter Elisabeth stands in front of a partially destroyed house and talks to the inhabitant.
Elisabeth wants to record everyday stories from the war zone. Image: ZDF

After Russia's full-scale invasion, she decided to leave Ukraine and return to her home in Berlin. But she still wanted to continue reporting. "I didn't necessarily want to report on the war," she says. "I had a different focus. Even in Ukraine." Despite the dangers, she now travels to Ukraine on a regular basis to report on the experiences of those living there. The film accompanies her on various investigative trips in the area around Kyiv.

As a photojournalist, Vincent documents the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian soldier
Every assignment as a war correspondent can end fatally.Image: ZDF

According to Reporters Without Borders, eleven journalists have been killed in Ukraine while reporting on the Russian war. The psychological dangers should not be underestimated, either. Those who document violence, torture and destruction expose themselves to these stories and images in their raw form, unfiltered and uncensored.

Photojournalist Vincent talks thoughtfully about his work
Vincent 36 years old, photojournalistImage: ZDF

Vincent, 36, is not just a photographer: he uses his camera to tell stories. He has experience photographing crisis-hit regions around the world. But he knows his limits: "No story or photo is worth your life," he says. "I would never deliberately put my life in an extremely dangerous situation to get a special picture." Just two days after the invasion, he photographed the aftermath of the Russian attack for the first time.

Ukraine | ZDF Dokumentation Gefährlicher Einsatz
Image: ZDF

Despite several visits to the front, he hasn’t lost sight of the work being done by Ukraine's civil society. The film follows Vincent as he photographs a medical battalion evacuating injured Ukrainian frontline soldiers.

 

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