War - How to communicate safely

By Luís Silva - Reporter

Donbass - Ukraine

Still without reasons for reporting, there is already so much to film…

The rules are very clear and with zero tolerance: "violating confidential information is forbidden", namely filming checkpoints or strategic military locations.

As we approach the theatre of war, the notion of uncertainty and insecurity grows. "Ukrainian Military Forces are not responsible for your life or health while you are in the combat zone" was a sentence often heard, whenever we passed a checkpoint on the front line.

We arrived on the scene of war with two objectives:

The duty of inform and publishing all the relevant facts that we witness, but also to safeguard our physical and mental integrity.

Despite being aware, we are never prepared for certain cruelties that we witness. There are many frightening and horror moments that make us freeze, and that make any powerless human being protect the other.

At the same time that we try to protect our lives, in critical situations, we record on video all the moments, without filters, as well as the sounds that witness the situations, often in panic.

We always have to be certain: we are in a war situation, where the danger of life is present 24 hours a day and that can NEVER be forgotten.

In the front line, with the camera on your shoulder, we advance at a distance of about 2 meters from the buildings and always on the opposite side of where the attack missiles are being launched. These bombings are intense and in necessary periods to unload the missile launcher with 12 or 24 bombs. It is essential to know how to read the countless variables that arise, and in record time, because you have to know how to step back... there is no image that is worth a lifetime.

The intensity of the bombardments teaches us to know the sound of the attack missile and the sound of the anti-aircraft guns. Whenever we hear a metallic bang, attentions start to focus on the "whistle" caused by the missile. If it's an approaching sound, it's already too late to go to the shelters, but there's still time for REC... luckily, luck was always on our side.

Lysychansk / Bakhmut / SIC