I’m with @AndriyKyiv who is helping Ukrainian refugees reach an EU border that’ll accept them inside their countries. Meet Yulia, her 9-year-old twins Polina and Milana, and her aunt, Svitlana. It took nearly 2 days to get them to safety. Here’s what it took to make it happen.
First, this family is EXTREMELY traumatized and had anxiety levels I’ve never seen in a human being. Before Andriy picked them up, the family was in their basement for 3 days taking cover from air strikes like everyone else. They’d only emerge when Andriy picked them up.
Yulia’s husband didn’t join them because he joined the Territorial Defense force of volunteers given weapons to fight. Most men aren’t able to leave anyway because they’re expected to stay and fight. That’s the 1st family trauma: separation from the father/husband.
Getting to the border is very expensive, as you need a car, gas, plenty of refills, food, lodging during the trip for everyone, incidentals, etc. everyone can’t afford the trip to the border even if they wanted to make the journey.
Andriy is working with an EU-based charity supporting refugees and taking a big risk coming and going from Kyiv. The family was so scared that they never left Andriy’s side—or mine. They’d freak out if we left their side for too long. That puts stress on Andriy, too .
Polina and Melana kept it together fairly well, all things considered. But they’ve been uprooted from their normal lives and it’s up to their mom and aunt to put their mental health to the side to comfort the kids. It was difficult to watch.
This is the family’s life in the back of Andriy’s jeep. Imagine what’s it like to decide what part of your life is most important to stuff into the back of a vehicle as you flee a war. That’s what this family and thousands like it have to do every day here in Ukraine.
We stopped overnight at a resort town overnight where we our host refused payment after several attempts to pay her. But most places expect payment and many refugees don’t have money for lodging for several days at a time.
Skipping a few things, but this is the family at the Ukraine-Slovak border. It was intense. We waited 3 hours to board our bus, a relatively short wait. I went all the way to the Slovak side to hand them off to the charity there.
There’s so much more to this story I’ll share in an article at a later time, but here is the crew, with @AndriyKyiv as our leader and me as the journo documenting it all.
Bottom line: being a refugee is hell and so is the senseless war that causes it.
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I know my style of journalism isn’t what many of you are used to. It’s OK. I never lied about who I am, what my limitations are or my motivations. I’m a highly opinionated reporter.
If you don’t like it, there are plenty of folks you can follow who fit your tastes.
I know many of you just discovered me, but I’ve developed deep, very personal ties to this country and you’ll see every bit of that in my journalism. I don’t believe in “objective” journalism because it doesn’t exist. I’m as fair and open about my work as I can be.
You’ll never get so-called “objectivity” from me. What you will get is fair, compassionate reporting that reveals how much I deeply love this place. You will feel every emotion I’m experiencing as I report here. I live here. I didn’t helicopter in like everyone else.
One thing I’m learning to do is ignore haters. All of the success I’m having came from years of hard work. I grew up dirt poor in Detroit. No one gave me anything. I never was jealous of others success so it’s odd when people take shots at mine.
I’ll have to get used to this.
I think what makes people jealous of me is that I didn’t get to where I am through the traditional gatekeepers and I kissed no rings (or asses) to get the support I have.
But I truly don’t understand how people can hate on folks like me who never asked anyone for anything.
Y’all know me.
I stick with I myself and don’t say anything about anybody. That folks would be so bothered by the support I’m getting is really a reflection on THEM and not ME.
If you are a TV/Radio producer who is asking an independent reporter in a war zone to broadcast free for you (ME), you need to pay attention to this thread because I hope it will help you help others.
Let's discusss scheduling hit times. Prioritize reporters' safety first!
For starters, I have a selfie stick, not a 10K camera with a crew and body guard. I am in extremely hostile areas where I must focus on my surroundings. If it is dark, I have light which makes me a sitting duck, easy target. Please make the SPECIFIC TIME. Don't make me wait.
The longer I am waiting, the more of a target I am. Some producers have put me in that situation. Obviously, unintentional, but I think it also is because I am freelance and I am not their priority. Anyway, I just won't do their shows anymore.
I’m at a checkpoint outside of the city where a civilian group is checking all vehicles—including military—for saboteurs. There are reports of them shooting at checkpoints, keep these civilian military groups on edge.
Some of the professions of the men holding government-issued weapons at this checkpoint: shoe maker, museum director, language teacher.
Air raid sirens are going off. This is usually the time civilians are taking cover. Not these volunteer military units. They are staying put at this checkpoint in the pitch dark, at the ready, protecting Ukraine.