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It is still hard to believe what the world has witnessed in Ukraine in the more than 100 days since Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin launched his unjustified and brutal invasion.
And yet even as satellite images in February proved that Russian troops and weaponry were being assembled in huge numbers on the border with Ukraine, Western leaders clung to the hope that somehow Putin would turn away from violence.
Meanwhile, Putin spun a web of lies. The Russian show of power was nothing more than routine military exercises, the line went. He didn’t want war.
But finally even Putin could hide his intentions no longer.
And all hell broke loose as he launched the “special military operation” — words that covered up what is nothing less than a determined bid to smash Urkaine’s cities to “liberate” them.
And as the horrifying images began of buildings reduced to empty shells and Ukrainian civilians caught in the front line trying to survive, one Perth Journalist decided she could not sit back and watch.
The West Australian journalist Daryna Zadvirna, who has personal connections to Ukraine, felt she had to act.
“I was born and grew up in Lviv . . . just before I turned 10 my parents moved to the UK and I eventually migrated to Australia,” she said.
“Like the rest of the world I was glued to the screen in disbelief, watching as Russia set my country alight.
Unable to sit passively on the other side of the world and watch, Zadvirna took all her available leave and got on a plane. She crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border on foot on March 16.
With no guide, no cameraman and no itinerary, the 25-year-old relied on a network of family, friends of friends and strangers as she traversed the country determined to document the impact of the invasion on her homeland, filming as she went. The result is an original documentary, My Ukraine: Inside the war zone.
STM today tells the story of her journey and what she found.
Zadvirna spoke to one local woman who was unable to leave before Putin’s invaders arrived. She said her son-in-law was one of those killed.
“I’ve been crying every day, my whole face is probably swollen,” the woman said.
“I cry every night for my son-in-law. They shot him on March 4. He walked, stepped on the street and they shot him straight away. He was about 20 minutes away from his home. They put him in a body bag but where they took him, we don’t know.”
But among the stories of horror there are also those of humour and hope.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, cluster bombs and shells rained down every day Zadvirna was there. But residents remained steadfast in their belief their country would be victorious.
“We’re not going anywhere, we will stay here and wait for victory,” a woman hiding in a basement with her grandchildren said. When asked if she had any weapons with her, she replied: “No, unfortunately not. (But) we have a shovel . . . actually we also have a frying pan. We’ll be waiting for them.”
Ukraine might lack the tools, but Zadvirna’s startling documentary shows its people are not short of the courage or drive to win.
As the fight for Ukraine intensifies, she urges people not to forget what is happening in her homeland. “I’d hate to see people lose interest, to stop putting pressure on their leaders to help Ukraine end this war,” Zadvirna said.
STM today tells the story of her journey and what she found.
To watch My Ukraine: Inside the war zone, go to thewest.com.au
Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie
