A while ago one of the local journalists spoke with the OSCE observers at the Donetsk airport (before it was destroyed). Back then the foreign observers claimed that they were representatives of an international organization, so no one has the right to touch them. Two weeks later, these observers were exchanged from the captivity of the occupying forces. They were shocked.
Read more: Russia-Ukraine War March 7th, 2022
Starting from 2016 the situation in Donbas was rather calm, and foreign journalists worked exclusively from our territories, where law and order persisted. Of course, terrorist troops continued to fire at the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and bullets and shells flew alongside representatives of the world media. But it wasn't a systematic approach.
A full-scale war has significantly changed the situation, as occupying forces don't care about the presence of journalists and documentation of international crimes anymore.
And although all protocols require media representatives to visually stand out from the crowd, the reality is that now wearing "PRESS" patches can lead to unnecessary danger.
In the best-case scenario, as soon as they spot journalists, occupying forces can take away their equipment. Moreover, as practice shows, the invaders do not shy away from mugging them, as they understand that foreigners can have considerable amounts of cash on them. However, when they are located from afar they are ready to shoot to kill.
Russians don't just have a goal to exterminate journalists, but to create the conditions under which they'll be forced to leave Ukraine. At the same time, the task of killing a media representative can be a priority for Russians.
What should foreign journalists working in Ukraine know
All foreigners who came to Ukraine because of the war have to understand that the Russian terrorist army doesn't want to seize fire. The invaders do not adhere to any conventions, so the passport of the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden or any other country won't protect you from captivity and possible torture.
Even if journalists are experienced and have been to a lot of hot spots in the past, they have to understand that the Russian army is capable of doing things that even international terrorist groups wouldn't dare to do.
Violation of all norms and rules - not out of anger
According to Channel 24's military intelligence sources, the Russian military leadership issued orders to destroy Ukrainian cities, hospitals and civilians not out of desperation and anger. The invaders deliberately entered Ukraine to kill Ukrainian nationals. If you look at all the wars led by Russia, you can see that bombing civilians, infrastructures and medical facilities are common tactics for them. They create humanitarian catastrophes, intimidate women and children, kill journalists and foreigners in order to achieve their goals faster and force the victim country's authorities into accepting their conditions. But these tactics won't work with Ukraine.