2 February in Bakmhut on the eastern front in Ukraine. Volunteers from the organization Frontline Medics are among those who intervene when a woman is injured in a Russian attack.
Their dashboard camera will soon capture an extreme drama.
Simon Johnsen and Sander Sørsveen Trelvik from Norway sit in this car, together with their Estonian colleague Erko Laidinen. They arrive at the town at the same time as a group of American volunteers.
Johnsen and Trelvik jump out of the car and run to the patient. No one knows that the enemy has them in their sights. We warn against strong impressions.
– I remember that when I woke up, I couldn’t move my legs, says Johnsen.
– I was terrified that they were amputees or had such severe injuries that I wouldn’t be able to get away from there.
HOME: Back in Norway, Simon Johnsen looks back on the drama in Ukraine. Photo: Kristian Haug Hansen / TV 2
Double attack
Because Johnsen immediately thought that this was a so-called double attack from the Russian forces. During double attack, the enemy first shoots at civilians, then hits those who come to help.
– I was sure that there would be even more attacks so we had to get away as quickly as possible, says Johnsen.
He was going to be right.
In the video, we hear shouts from Trelvik, who is badly burned and has extensive splinter injuries.
DAMAGE: Sander Sørsveen Trelvik was heavily damaged in the attack. Photo: Oleksandr Teychynskyi / TV 2
– I screamed to convince myself that I was alive, says Trelvik from Ullevål hospital, where he is in isolation.
Two were killed
After the attack, they see that both the patient and the American medic Pete Reed have been killed.
– It is of course the worst, that two people lost their lives. It is very difficult to put it into words. It will be with me forever, says Johnsen.
In the photo of the attack, we see that Johnsen and Trelvik are standing next to those who lost their lives.
– It could just as easily have been us. It is special to think about. We had guardian angels.
As soon as they get their bearings, the two Norwegians manage to get back on their feet and seeking coveragesomething that was caught on camera by the Wall Street Journal.
Sander (21) had to run for his life: Now he is being celebrated
At the same time, the dashboard camera video shows other volunteers fleeing in a car. 17 seconds after the car has driven, this happens:
– Proves that we were the target
Johnsen and Trelvik say that at first they thought they had been hit by a Russian artillery attack.
– It would have made it a bit more innocent because then it would have been a bit more random when it happened, but the whole incident was caught on camera, says Trelvik from the hospital bed.
For their colleague Erko Laidinen, who was waiting in the car, filmed the first attack with his mobile phone. The camera was blown over in the explosion, but here is the video also in slow motion:
Frontline Medics told TV 2 that they have had the videos analyzed by weapons experts. The experts are sure that the missiles that were used are modern, laser-guided anti-tank missiles.
COMPARISON: The picture on the left is from the attack on Medicane. The picture to the right is of the anti-tank missile Kornet. Photo: frontlinemedics.org (tv) and the Russian Ministry of Defense/Scanpix (th)
The picture on the right is off Russian Kornet. The photo was published by the Russian Ministry of Defense last year, which stated that it had been taken in Ukraine.
Palle Ydstebø, the head of the section for land power at the war school, has also studied the map.
Lieutenant Colonel Palle Ydstebø. Photo: Sigve Bremer Mejdal / TV 2
– What kind of weapon are we talking about?
– This is a standard guided anti-tank missile. You have a powerful scope that you use to identify the target. You steer using a laser, you follow the target and you hit where you aim, explains the lieutenant colonel.
Frequent attacks against the health sector
The survivors have a clear conclusion:
– This means that they knew exactly what they were shooting at and who they were shooting at, and that they had us directly in their sights, says Trelvik.
He and Johnsen emphasize that everyone at the site was unarmed, and that there were no military targets nearby either.
MISSILE: The videos show that two such missiles were fired at the volunteers. Photo: frontlinemedics.org
Throughout the war, Russia has received strong criticism for extensive attacks against the health sector. Over 1,200 institutions have been damaged, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health.
– It is a violation of the international law of war and the principle of distinction that you must distinguish between civilian and military targets. And it has been a problem in this war from the first week, says Ydstebø.
Survivors: – Clear war crimes
Ydstebø says it is difficult to establish whether the attack on the volunteers was a war crime, but the survivors are confident in their case.
– This was a clear war crime that was caught on camera, says Trelvik, and is supported by Johnsen.
– The Russians deliberately go in to take out aid personnel by bombing both civilians, medics and ambulances.
Some of the volunteers at the site wore military-style clothing. And in war zones, Ukrainian soldiers often use civilian cars to transport personnel and equipment.
– Could the Russians have thought they were soldiers?
– There were people in civilian clothes at the site. They were civilian cars. Our car was marked as an ambulance. It was very clear to see that this was not an armed military force, says Johnsen.
DAMAGE: Johnsen has lost hearing in his right ear and has damage to his cornea. – But the forecasts are good, he says. Photo: Oleksandr Teychynskyi / TV 2
– This was a cowardly attack. It shows that they don’t care who they bomb.
Want to return to Ukraine
Despite the risk, Johnsen wants to go down again as soon as his health permits.
– There is a huge need for help down there. I still have the opportunity to help. I was lucky, and I’m taking the lessons back down, says Johnsen, before he concludes:
– I know that the person who passed away wanted us to continue doing this work.
