A few days earlier I was in a digital meeting with my colleague at the Ukrainian public service company.
She told about the military upload that had been going on for many months.
Kiev was seething with worry and rumours—was there going to be an attack or was Putin's aim mostly to flex his muscles to force concessions?
My colleague told me about the anxiety in the newsroom and how they all went to work every day to secure the news reporting.
Television stations are priority targets in military attacks.
Were they under attack?
How was the situation in Kiev where SVT had correspondent Bert Sundström on site for several weeks to describe the military escalation?
On a night train that thundered towards the front in the east, where the war of aggression has been going on since 2014, we had our second team with correspondent Carl Fridh Kleberg and photographer Niclas Berglund.
Their destination was Kramatorsk.
The city was under heavy missile attacks and massive explosions were reported.
SVT's director of foreign affairs, Pia Bernhardson, was already awake when we reached each other over the phone.
"It has started" was her somewhat laconic comment.
Now it was about getting in touch with our teams and securing them.
Their mission was, of course, to report but also to act in a safe manner.
Niclas Berglund's pictures depict the atmosphere on the train, where newly awakened fellow travelers checked their phones to take in the incredible.
Ukraine had been invaded by a military superpower.
Photo: Niclas Berglund
Carl Fridh Kleberg tells here about the day when the war broke out: I was there - "My jacket and press vest were cut open with a knife" |
SVT Play
Bert Sundström woke up to the noise and soon after the air raids over Kiev.
The night sky was lit up by explosions and attacking robots.
Bert then reported live from Kiev throughout the morning, evening and pretty much around the clock for the next few weeks.
"When I saw the robots above my hotel, I felt that this could go wrong - but I wasn't afraid," says Bert when he now looks back on those weeks in Kiev.
Bert Sundström: "Felt like this could go bad" |
SVT News
The attacks came after months of military build-up around the country's borders and increasingly intense rumors that a war of aggression was underway.
The signs of Russian rearmament were many and Russia experts were not surprised that Putin made the threats a reality.
The first icy thoughts that early morning were the realization of the unheard of happening.
Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression against a peaceful and democratic neighboring country.
The next thought was the safety of our emissaries.
The third idea was: We must tell about this war in the absolute best way we can.
Journalists must be present
We send our employees time and again into a war zone.
Why?
Because it is the great journalistic task of our time.
The presence of independent journalists in war-torn countries is essential to provide a fair picture in contrast to propaganda and outright lies.
SVT's team with correspondent Bengt Norborg and photographer Emil Larsson were among the very first journalists to reach Butja.
They sent home harrowing testimonies of Russian abuses and crimes against civilians.
It effectively punctured the lies and attempted cover-ups coming from Russian leaders.
Here is Emil's own story: I was there - "It was so terrible that my body stopped working" |
SVT Play Correspondent Elin Jönsson and photographer Lars Lyrefelt documented the mass graves in Izium.
Pictures so horrific we can't show them all.
Here is their report: Graves in the forest |
SVT Play.
Journalists must be present to report.
And SVT has the know-how and ability to do everything possible to protect our expats.
They are trained, experienced and judicious as well as dedicated to the task.
But the mission is associated with great risks.
We look back at a year of unbearable news about the suffering that the people of Ukraine are forced to endure.
We have brave journalists to thank for knowing what is happening.
Dagens Media compiled a few days ago, among other things, this: 8 journalists have been killed, most during shooting or in artillery attacks, 19 journalists have been injured, 4 of them seriously, 217 Ukrainian media outlets have been forced to close.
A week after the invasion, Evgueni Sakoun died.
He was a photographer for the local Ukrainian channel Kyiv Live TV.
His body was found in the crowds after the Russian army bombed the television and radio tower in Kiev.
Today we celebrate his memory.
And Brents, Maks, Pierres, Oleksandras, Oksanas, Mantas and Frédérics.
SVT Nyheter continues its coverage of the war.
On site.