Under what conditions do our journalists work in Ukraine? France 24 answers you

France 24 is currently deploying six reporters to Ukraine to cover the conflict between the Ukrainians and the Russian army since February 24.

Several journalists have already returned, others have left.

Our teams follow one another on the field.

How is a report in Ukraine?

Two of our special envoys, David Gormezano and Julie Dungelhoeff, back from kyiv, Odessa and Mykolaiv, answer the questions you asked us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

How did you manage not to be shot at and to escape the bombardments where you were

David Gormezano:

 No, there really isn't a "safe" place in Ukraine anymore.

For a month and a half, there have been strikes of all kinds (missiles fired from Russia, from the sea, closer artillery fire) throughout the territory.

We consult many sources to inform us of military activities on site.

They come from organizations like the Institute for the Study of War, which collect information available to everyone.

When possible, we speak on the ground with the people who man the checkpoints [checkpoints on the country's roads, editor's note].

And at France Médias Monde [the parent company of France 24, RFI and MCD, Ed], we have a system to ensure our safety in the field.

A person is in charge of monitoring us every day and assessing the risk.

Julie Dungelhoeff: 

I agree with David.

There are no more safe places in Ukraine.

In Odessa and Mykolaiv, we didn't go to so-called "man-to-man combat" areas, so we weren't at risk of getting shot.

The biggest risks were those related to the bombardments.

Most of the time - it's not infallible - the anti-missile shields spot the bombardments and a siren sounds.

It is then necessary to take shelter as quickly as possible so as not to be exposed.

If you can't find a basement for shelter, you have to move away from the area.

It happened to me once in Mykolaiv when I heard the sirens, because I couldn't find shelter.

We are also careful not to find ourselves near a site that can be targeted, such as an administration or a military site.

Like many Ukrainians,

At France 24, we are trained in basic security rules.

Before any move, we check the positions of the different armies and the routes we can take to avoid intense fighting, who is holding which checkpoint, etc.

Information that we verify with our internal security manager, the local authorities and all our contacts on site at the points of departure and arrival.

How did you shelter at night

DG:

In Kiev, we were accommodated in one of the few hotels still open in the city center.

We chose this one because it had food, heating, internet and an air-raid shelter.

We also had to take refuge there several times, the time to understand what was happening and to know if the bombings had affected our neighborhood.

Our hotel was only one-third occupied.

It seemed to me that the hotel staff had brought their families there, in rooms, to shelter them and also to avoid having to travel to come to work every day.

JD: 

In the area that I covered, there was initially talk of me sleeping in Mykolaiv, but a hotel in the city center was hit, so we preferred to go back and forth with Odessa.

We found a hotel still open in Odessa, with an underground shelter.

I took a room on the first floor, in case the hotel was bombed.

Why not stay there longer as the war continues

DG: 

Reporting in a war zone like Ukraine is almost 24 hours a day. At France 24, we have adopted an organization where the teams of journalists change every two weeks or so, because we believes that after two weeks, we are exhausted, and that we need to regenerate to maintain lucidity and continue to do our job as journalists properly.

This also allows you to keep a form of hindsight.

The risk is to end up adopting the point of view of only one of the two parties to the conflict.

JD: 

These areas are complicated to cover from a physical and psychological point of view.

We eat very little, we sleep very little.

However, this requires staying in shape and respecting one's physical condition in order to be able to carry out the work.

Systematically when a team comes in, a team leaves.

Did you approach the Russian soldiers on the ground

DG:

 In this context of high intensity warfare, it is very difficult for us to cross the front lines.

The two armies – the Russians as well as the Ukrainians – do not allow us to do so.

It is our personal security that we put at stake if we seek to cross them.

Teams of colleagues who have reported with Russian forces, or in areas under their control, have often done so when arriving via Russia.

JD: 

We were on the Ukrainian side and it is not possible for us to cross the front line to go to the Russian side.

Moreover, for you to understand how it works in practice, to go to the front line, you need accreditation from the Ukrainian army or be taken by the Ukrainian army.

However, in the area where I was, she does not take many journalists with her for security reasons.

Anyway, it is not possible to cross to the other side of the front alone because you risk getting shot.

But in itself, it is not impossible to have access to the Russian soldiers, for that it is necessary to leave in "embed" [while being embarked, editor's note] with the Russian army, starting from Russia.

For this, it is necessary to negotiate with the Russian authorities and obtain authorizations.

We have not been able to read and see reports from cities and areas occupied by the Russian army in Ukraine.

Why didn't you go there

JD: 

I would love to go there.

I asked for accreditations from the self-proclaimed authorities for the LNR and the DNR [the separatist Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, editor's note] and I was refused, like many journalists.

Moscow speaks of "Nazi" fighters on the Ukrainian side.

Have you seen any?

Did you see any fighters from the Azov regiment

DG:

 We met the members of a nationalist movement, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), in the vicinity of Kiev.

These are the groups that the Russian government calls "Nazis".

They are ultranationalists who claim a political heritage that includes working with the Nazis during World War II.

Today, this group is not formally integrated into the Ukrainian army, it has military autonomy.

On the other hand, as the official we met explained, these men willingly place themselves under the command of the army.

Is there any hope of rebuilding Ukraine after your observation on the ground

DG:

 My feeling is that this war has only just begun.

The Russian side seems determined to continue its military operations and the Ukrainians seem ready to resist this invasion at all costs.

The more time passes, the less inclined they will be to accept a compromise with Moscow.

It seems to me that the point of no return was reached as soon as the invasion took place on February 24.

The last of the Ukrainian pacifists to cease to be.

It particularly marked me when I met a theater troupe in kyiv.

They are artists, and I felt in them not only a hatred of Russia but also of the Russians, which they would henceforth be ready to fight even at the risk of their lives.

JD:

 We are not yet at the reconstruction stage, but still at the destruction stage.

In Mykolaiv, where I went, there was bombardment every day, all the time.

And it continues.

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