On Monday, three French journalists were in eastern Ukraine, in Krematorsk, where they were to do a live feature for the French TV channel TMC.
But before the host of the television program “Quotidien” could finish his question, the pitch-black night sky was replaced by a powerful flash of light followed by a reporter who had to run for his life.
Horrified TV viewers only managed to see their comrade fall to the ground, before the TV channel hurriedly went back to the studio. See video below:
– Terrified
The team, consisting of the three journalists Paul Gasnier, Héloïse Grégoire and Théo Palfray, sought cover in a church where they resumed contact with the studio.
They could then say that no one had been hurt, but that the incident had made a strong impression:
– We were standing in the car park in front of our hotel, and were the only ones there. We had been there for an hour and we were ready for our live reporting. We do not know exactly where the missile hit. We heard an incredibly loud noise, and everyone got dust in their eyes and mouths, said Paul Gasnier and added emphatically:
– We were all incredibly scared. My hands are still shaking.
Powerful attacks
The explosion took place around 20:00 Norwegian time on Monday 2 January and was one of several that hit Krematorsk.
According to the AFP news agency, there were four explosions on Monday evening in the Krematorsk region. Regional authorities reported on Twitter that two people were injured as a result of a Russian missile attack on Monday.
Krematorsk has not fallen into Russian hands, despite being in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. One of four regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin, to strong international condemnation, illegally annexed in September 2022.
ILLEGAL ANNEXATION: On September 30, 2022, Vladimir Putin held a solemn ceremony where he declared that he had annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The annexation was internationally condemned and rejected. Photo: DMITRY ASTAKHOV
Several journalists injured and killed
The three French journalists escaped with the horror, but several injured and killed journalists have been reported in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022.
According to the International Federation of Journalists, twelve journalists have lost their lives reporting on the war in Ukraine. There are more than any other country in the world. A total of 67 journalists were killed in 2022.
On the same day as the three Frenchmen, the German journalist Bjørn Stritzel was injured in Ukraine. He did not specify where he was, but is said to have suffered cuts when a window was blown out.
Stritzel’s editor in Bild, Johannes Boie, announced on Twitter that the journalist was safebut that it is all for reflection:
– This is a reminder of the suffering that reporters in Ukraine must go through to tell the truth. Thanks to all of you!
