War In Ukraine & The Black Sea
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and its Russian-language channel, Current Time, have been in a unique position to cover Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With compelling footage from our reporters on the ground, I bring their stories to a wider, English-speaking, global audience. In 2022, I reported from the Black Sea port of Odesa on the blackouts caused by Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's power grid. I also met with families of missing sailors who I had interviewed in 2020 for my documentary, Sea Change, about Ukraine's efforts to rebuild its navy following Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Amid Russian Strikes, Odesa Residents Hunt For Generators To Stay Powered UpODESA, UKRAINE - Residents of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa struggled with widespread blackouts after Russian missile strikes crippled power stations and electrical infrastructure across Ukraine.
As I did camera, local fixer Vlad Maslov helped out with audio and translations.
I joined dozens of Ukrainian refugees in Prague in December 2022 who were about to board an overnight train back to their country. Almost all of them were women and children. Almost 400,000 Ukrainians fled to the Czech Republic at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Most have since returned or bounce back and forth between Ukraine and the EU.
Tens Of Thousands Of Dead Dolphins Among Environmental Casualties Of Ukraine WarTUZLOVSKI LYMANY NATIONAL PARK, UKRAINE - A Ukrainian marine biologist estimates that at least 50,000 Black Sea dolphins have been killed as a result of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ivan Rusev says he's shocked by the number of dolphin carcasses that have washed up on the shores of his nature reserve in Ukraine's Odesa region. Mines, underwater explosions, and power sonar from Russian submarines have caused an environmental catastrophe for marine wildlife. But Rusev says he has a plan to help the Black Sea dolphin population recover.
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Are Missing Ukrainian Sailors Being Held Prisoner By Russia?ODESA, UKRAINE - The families of missing crew members from two Ukrainian Navy boats sunk by Russia in the Black Sea are desperately trying to find out if the sailors are still alive. Months after the attacks, Olesya Aulina believes her husband and 16 other sailors could have been plucked from the waters by Russian vessels, and she hopes they are now being held as prisoners of war. I first met her husband, Lieutenant Damir Aulin, while shooting a 2020 documentary about the Ukrainian Navy (see below).
DOCUMENTARY: Ukraine's Navy - A Tale Of Betrayal, Loyalty & RevivalODESA, UKRAINE - It’s said that the saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, the Ukrainian Navy was dealt a devastating blow. Russian took more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s naval vessels and 75 percent of Ukraine’s sailors quit or defected. Why did so many betray their country? What motivated those few who remained loyal? And could Ukraine’s navy ever recover?
LVIV, UKRAINE - The entire city of Lviv was plunged into darkness in December 2022 after power stations were hot by Russian missiles.
As War Rages, Odesa Votes To Remove Statue Of Russian Empress Catherine IIODESA - There was mixed reaction in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa after local lawmakers voted to dismantle a statue of 18th-century Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
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Russia's Full-Scale Invasion Of Ukraine
'Dad, Please Don't Die!': Harrowing Video Captures Deadly Russian Attack On Ukrainian Father And Son |
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