War on the other side of the camera

Liudmyla Pidkuimukha review of the book National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”

Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists (Війна очима ТСН) publishing house “Osnowy”, Kyiv,

s the war in Ukraine continues for over Alexander Zagorodniy’s first mission was to two years, more and more Ukrainian Kosovo in 1998; after he was sent on a mis- Ajournalists find themselves as war sion to Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, Ruslan reporters. Important battles take place not Yarmoyuk was an exclusive Ukrainian reporter only on the Eastern Front, but also on the who got a chance to cover from the ground an fronts of visual arts, literature, and journalism – armed conflict in Georgian-Ossetian-Russian in fights for being honest and keep high stand- August of 1998. ards, fights for people’s trust and colleagues’ Ivan Hrebenyuk and Ruslan Kharchenko respect. Journalists of 1+1 TV channel’s daily have not had any presence experience at wars news production TSN (Television News Service) before the events in East Ukraine; however, by have been working in a war zone since the now Ivan has traveled along the entire front very beginning of the armed conflict in Eastern line from to Luhansk region. The edi- Ukraine, The subject of my review is the book tor in chief of Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists. Journalists is Olga Kashpor, born in This book is an attempt to make a panoramic ( region). view of military events in 2014–2015, hap- Despite the fact that “war does not have pening in Donbas region. The authors of this a woman’s face”, there are many women book are journalists of Television News Service; among the war correspondents in Donbas some of them had previous experience as war region. Natalya Nagorna always had a dream reporters. For example, Alexander Motornyy to become a war reporter, but before the worked as a journalist in such hot spots as armed conflict in Ukraine she has never been Georgia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Libya, sent to the zone. She caught the moment and Egypt, and finally got to Donetsk airport. became the first woman in TSN team willing Andriyy Tsapliyenko has been working as a war to work at Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (ATO reporter since 2001; he told stories of conflicts zone). In opposite, Alla Khotsyanivska has from Colombia, Nepal, Iraq, Afghanistan, South been making a go/no go to Eastern Ukraine Ossetia, Macedonia, Kashmir, Liberia, etc. decision for a long time. At the end of the Review of the book „Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists” 265

day, she got no more tolerance to peaceful trying to remain objectivity. That is why the convey emotions as impressionistic strokes, through a problem of one soldier all difficulties life in Kyiv, being deeply involved into pro- official data, facts, statistics, and chronological but each story is completed, has a beginning of others are presented. ducing news from the hottest place of the description of events become critically impor- and a closing part, a starting point and an end It is very important to be human in every country. Similar inside changes through the tant for the book. All the main events of the thought. For example, in a story Higgs Boson situation, to respect dead people, even if they time of Ukrainian struggles have happened war between Ukraine and Russia since the very by Alexander Motornyy a so-called frame is are enemies. In the essay “Jackson” Ukrainian to Yevhenia Tsvetanska, Marjana Bukhan, and beginning (April 2014) and until February of used. At the beginning there is such a sen- military men covered dead Russian soldiers Hanna Boka. 2015 are described in the book Ukraine’s War tence: “A parcel is posted to you, – it was said on with white sheets – it was a sign of a military The very first thing I would want to touch in as Viewed by TSN Journalists. There is informa- a portable radio transmitter” (Ibidem, p. 27). honor act. The Russians were so impressed by regard to the book is its title, which sounds as tion about occupation processes in , And the last sentence sounds like that: “A par- such a behavior that allowed soldiers to go Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists. It Luhansk and Donetsk in April 2014, about bat- cel is delivered, – a portable radio transmitter and did not attack Ukrainian Army positions. has to be noticed that the discussed historical tle of Mariupol and etc. The timeline includes has wheezed” (Ibidem, p. 28). The film crew was On the other hand, there is a story untitled event is a difficult, treacherous and hybrid war. strategic battles as a fight on the Saur-Mohyla called “a parcel”. The soldiers had a task to de- Cold-bloodedness by Marjana Bukhan where This is not just a conflict; this is not an anti- height, Karachun, thermal power plant in liver journalists firstly from the secret place to Donbas residents’ apathy could be observed. terrorist operation any more. This is a war in Shchastya attack. Pisky and then to the Donetsk airport, through Those people simply walk around, worry every sense of this word. ‘On the other side of According to data of official military pros- a terrible fire the crew was safely delivered. about trifles and even do not think of cover- the camera’ is a subtitle, chosen as a reference ecutors, 459 people were killed and almost Alexander Motornyy focuses on the battle ing up dead bodies. Similar situations and to remained off-screen stories that impressed 500 were injured in Ilovaisk when the city was of the Donetsk airport and his second essay different behavior are described in these two our reporters the most. under siege. As we can see, official information Cyborg’s Father is dedicated to the colonel essays. It is underlined that it is very important Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists is given in this book together with alterna- “Redut” who commanded at the airport. It is not to allow a war to kill everything human contains of 28 soulful stories – about real tive data, used in order to stay unbiased. For described how his kindness, wisdom and pro- inside of us. people, met in daily situations of unpeaceful example, “according to various sources from fessionalism helped Each story in this book has a line. The line routine. “Any resemblance to actual persons 150 to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the to battle at that strategic point. is between light and darkness, life and death, or events is not coincidental” – states the “ kettle” (Ukraine’s War, p. 156). “As Andriy Tsapliyenko in his stories describes beauty and ugliness, love and hate. The con- epigraph of the book. The characters of these results of bombardment 19 servicemen were a world of hunger. In the first essay, which is cept of death is present in the stories because stories are journalists; taking business trips to killed (according to the other data at least 30 called Hunger, the author introduced us to an wars and death are interrelated things. One of the ATO zone they live in a new reality, and military men were killed) and more than 100 old woman who has been waiting for food and the stories by Aleksandr Zagorodniy is even recall on 224 pages of the book what they were injured near Zelenopillya” (Ibidem, p. 82). got disappointed when did not receive any. called Death. The author writes that death is saw and felt over 12 months. It is a Ukrainian The basic concepts are determined and War and hunger go together, side by side. The not heroic at the front. It is senseless and stu- language edition with the war essays and explained in the book: for instance, during other kind of hunger – hunger of information – pid (Ibidem, p. 96). In the book Ukraine’s War lots of war photos taken by best Ukrainian the battle of Donetsk airport the word cyborg is presented in the essay The Passengers. as Viewed by TSN Journalists death is personi- photojournalists. A combination of essays (Ukrainian: кіборг) was used to refer to the In several cases journalists make friends fied. In contrast to the historical reference, and photographs makes this book one of the Ukrainian defenders of the airport. It refers to with soldiers. Artillery Scout “Jackson” phoned there is no statistics or general data. It is said most important documentary evidences of the way that the airport defenders were able Andrew each morning. He told how the night about particular person or people. It hurts to our time. Photos successfully supplement the to fend off constant attacks by DPR forces in passed in Debaltseve, what else the enemy understand that this man to whom you have written history of a changing country; convey close quarters with little sleep or support, just artillery has bombed out, how answered ours. recently spoken is already dead. It is much the spirit, emotions, and soldiers’ daily life. The as science-fiction cyborgs are “indestructible Tsaplienko was waiting for the news not only as harder to survive the loss of a person when main goal of this book is to open eyes to the half-men, half-machines”, or “superhuman”. a journalist. Another call meant that his friend you know his a little (essay “Ernesto” by Alla war that is happening in Ukraine and to show Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists is “Jackson” was alive, his team was good, and Khotsyanivska). Despite that fact that “blood people that a war is not something distant and not just a collection of facts and background Debaltseve was still our (Ibidem, p. 49). So, there and death at the battlefront are everyday incomprehensible, that this becomes a com- reports; more than all, it is an important source are stories which are entitled as “Jackson”, things” (Ibidem, p. 165), there is also little mon problem. about what was happening on the front “Ernesto”, “Tooth and Funny” etc. All these titles pleasures there, for example, French chocolate Despite their own patriotism and sympathy line, a unique evidence set of war. The main are soldiers’ nicknames. Through a story of (the essay French Сhocolate by Hanna Boka). to Ukrainian military forces, these report- part of this book is a collection of 28 essays one particular military man tragedy of others This thing has surprised a journalist the most ers follow traditions and keep the standards, written by 1+1 TV journalists. Authors try to is shown and built into a common tragedy; (Ibidem, p. 165). Review of the book „Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN Journalists”

Any war changes people, their characters to speak it loudly (the essay Confession by and the way they take life. For example, a sol- Ivan Hrebeniuk). “We are guilty in everything dier, whose nickname was “Tooth”, has totally that has been happening in Ukraine. We are changed his temper after being injured – be- for Ukraine. But we did not say about it when fore this accident he was funny, joked every it was necessary. Last spring when everything moment, but then he became nervous and had started we should shout but we kept sad (“Tooth and Funny” by Alla Khotsyanivska). silence because we were frightened. I did War also makes people take important steps in not think that our hush could cost so much”. their lives, for example, to make a marriage de- (Ibidem, p. 124) cision. In the essay Marriage Ceremony where 4. Finally the fourth group is represented “church bells argue with shots” (Ibidem, p. 169) by those people who are ready to fight two people decided to get married. They for independent Ukraine. For example, understood that life was too short to delay Masha (from the essay Masha by Ruslan important moments. Kharchenko) who was not afraid of saying Dichotomized “beauty and ugliness” are about her love to Ukraine and wrote about well-recalled in the essay The War Flowers by it on her social network pages, who helped Natalya Nahorna. There are different types Ukrainian Army and TSN journalists. This of flowers, described in the story. First of all, girl for her pro-Ukrainian position was con- soldiers found long and beautiful rose in the victed and sentenced to 25 years to life in bombed village. Another type of war flowers basements. Ukrainian Army fights for those is 120-mm mortar mine which was given to people as well. As Ivan Hrebeniuk worded: Natalya. It looks like a flower when has already “We can not abandon them” (Ibidem, p. 124). detonated. This iron flower was not even scary for the journalist; it was almost beautiful. It The book Ukraine’s War as Viewed by TSN is nice until starts to “kiss the soldiers”, killing Journalists is written to keep the history, to them. keep the evidences for future generations. It is The authors in their stories also define local believed in every essay that everything is not residents and their attitude to Ukrainian Army. for nothing. I have distinguished 4 types of people there: 1. To the first group belong those people who Liudmyla Pidkuimukha stay against Ukrainian Army, but continue Affiliation: to use Ukrainian resources and receive help Department from Ukraine (The Passengers by Andriy National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” Tsapliyenko). E-mail: [email protected] 2. The second group consists of those people who were against Ukraine and Ukrainian Army, but who have changed their opin- ions after conversations with TSN jour- nalists (as in the essay Reeducation by Alexandr Zagorodniy). It is very hard to speak with people who are influenced by Russian propaganda. 3. To the third group belong those people who are pro-Ukrainian, but they were afraid