Reporting alone from Ukraine’s frontlines – Ukrainian freelancers covering the war

Thousands of journalists, both Ukrainian and international, have continued to cover Russia’s war against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Among them, many are freelance journalists, despite the risky environment with targeted fire, detention, or indiscriminate bombardment by the Russian armed forces. 

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than a hundred journalists have been victims of violence since the Russian invasion, with at least 11 reporters having lost their lives while working. “I saw many young, inexperienced freelance journalists in the first month of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” remembered Anastasia Rodi, a Ukrainian freelance journalist for over 10 years who works mainly for German media. “It was like a safari, they went to the war zone and didn’t understand the risks that they were taking. In the first month, so many journalists have been killed because of mistakes.” 

Security risks are very significant in these conflict zones and are even more so for freelance journalists, who often work alone in the field. “As a freelance journalist, you always have this challenge with security”. explained Anastasia Rodi, Ukrainian freelance journalist.

It’s important to have a back officer in a war zone, but for freelancers it’s not a question at all because they bring their story and try to sell it

Anastasia Rodi, Ukrainian freelance journalist

“In most cases, there are no editors in the background to send the location and ask questions or advice in the moments of hesitation. So it’s definitely more challenging.” Despite everything, she does not regret her choice of freelance, which gives her great freedom and the time she wants to do a report.

Inna Varenytsia, another Ukrainian freelance journalist who works mainly for the Reuters agency and The Telegraph, also covers Russia’s war in Ukraine. In addition to the challenges of war, she’s also dealing with the financial pressure of being a freelancer and having to sell stories to make a living. “When you have a daily routine, working with the media every day, it’s much easier, you know that you will have your salary, and you can take some time off, like vacations, which are paid. If you’re a freelancer and you’re not working, nobody will pay you for this time,” said Varenytsia. She has already received several job offers in journalism, but she also prefers to keep her freelance status, which allows her, she says, to do more in-depth stories and, above all, to choose them. 

“For freelancers like me, it remains difficult to balance between earning some money, doing something that you really think is important, and taking care of my son. It’s hard to find this balance,” said Varenytsia. The death of the father of her son, the photojournalist Maksym Levin, while he was covering the full-scale offensive of the Russians in the Kyiv region in 2022, is also another challenge she faced, in addition to covering the war. “I have strange emotions and feelings. Sometimes I can be very emotional, and sometimes my feelings completely disappear from everything. Of course, it’s the effect of what happened,” said Varenytsia. 

Training and awareness

To support these journalists in hostile environments, several organisations have developed, such as the 2402 Foundation. It offers training in hostile environment security, mental health resilience programs, and refresher security training. “When the invasion started, thousands of journalists found themselves without any protection, basic things such as helmets or vests. So we started equipping them,” said Katerina Sergatskova, the executive director of the 2402 Foundation. “The training also focused on those who don’t have institutional support, work as freelancers, or Ukrainian newspapers that are kind of alone on the frontlines.”

The 2402 Foundation said it has trained more than 1,000 journalists since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. After almost 3 years of war, Sergatskova also notes that the situation has changed for journalists, who are now better equipped and more aware of the environment in which they work in Ukraine.

When it started in 2022, it was completely different compared to now. In these 3 years, the community of journalists was able to develop a culture of safety and a culture of mutual support

Katerina Sergatskova, executive director of the 2402 Foundation

“Now if you’re a correspondent and your editor wants you to go to the frontline, the correspondent will say, ok but I don’t have any skills to report on the war zone. How will I do that? This question was never an issue before, but now people are aware that there is a danger of being unprepared to report in the war zone.”

Anastasia Rodi has, for example, integrated it into her daily work. “In the first years in my reporting, it was always challenging and risky for me because I wasn’t able to apply for any insurance, and no one wanted to give it to me as a freelance correspondent. Now I always ask the media to buy me insurance, it’s very costly for freelancers, and I cannot cover it for myself. So now I’m not only negotiating my fees but also my question of security.”

Impacts on mental health

After security, one of the other biggest challenges for freelance journalists who cover the war in Ukraine remains the impact on their mental health. Faced with the violence of war, death, or numerous destruction, it leaves its mark. Even more so for freelance journalists who often work alone or in small groups and who benefit from little support.

“When I covered occupied territories in 2014-2016, I had one nightmare that followed me for two years. Something happened to me in my dream, but I couldn’t shout as my voice disappeared,” explained Inna Varenytsia. “I think it was a sign after work with high pressure and the possibility of being detained in occupied territories.” Varenytsia also said that the psychological pressure of covering the war affects her body. She experienced pain in her back and neck for the past months, which got worse because of heavy body armour and carrying other equipment.

Journalists are often front-line witnesses and never sure of what they may see or hear. Covering such stories can lead to stress, anxiety, burnout, or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “Freelancers are more exposed to trauma than people in the newsroom, because they don’t have this connection with this newsroom, they don’t have enough support or supervision from the editors,” said Katerina Sergatskova. “Sometimes they have editors, but usually there is not a deep connection between them, they don’t care enough about freelancers. This exposure to lack of supervision leads to long-term consequences like mental health issues or burnout.”

As Ukrainians live through their third winter under bombs and dread that Trump’s arrival at the White House in January could have a major impact on the war, the future remains always uncertain for freelancers. “It’s a miracle we are still on the agenda, but I’m not very optimistic for the future of the coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m pretty sure that the media focus will change from Ukraine to other topics,” said Rodi.

On the cover photo: Inna Varenytsia, courtesy of Inna Varenytsia

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