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Our guest is one of the most experienced military journalists in Ukraine,
who has been to dozens of hotspots all over the world
and who got beaten in his homeland, while on duty near Sevastopol, Crimea. Hello, Andrey.
- Good evening
First of all how do you and your colleagues feel today?
- We are all right, if one can say so under the circumstances.
We managed without serious injuries.
Bones aren't broken. I have two ribs injured and stitches in the eye-brow.
Our Greek colleague Costas Onischenko, who worked with us, got a broken nose.
It all could have ended up much worse, because those people indeed had weapon,they indeed were shooting.
Hard to say what they had on their minds at the moment.
In my opinion, they better control their legs, rather than their brains.
So, they could have shot us as well. But morally we were ready for it.
Tell me, please, who were those people? Could you find out?
Were they Ukrainians or Russians? Civilians or military?
Its hard to say, I will try to depict their actions. I think if I describe them -
we will be able to understand the logics of their action.
The situation was as follows: when we started filming near the military unit,
there appeared many other journalists and activists,
those who indeed were supporting Ukrainian troops, who lived in the neighbourhood,
because its incorrect to say, that all the city of Sevastopol approves of Russia.
There came people that wanted to support our militarymen and there were plenty of journalists.
It was a crowd of approximately 30 people.
First, a small car arrived and two women came out of it and started telling journalists they were lying about everything.
I asked them to specify what particularly we were lying about. Asked them to give examples.
I was ready to discuss out lies, I said, if they could give examples.
They failed to give examples, so one of the women said to another " Ok, call them in"
Who were "them" we did not understand.
The car left and 15 minutes after about 5-6 cars arrived, one was a pretty big pick-up,
from what I understood they had a radio station in there and the driver of the pick-up was coordinating the others.
They arrived and lets say dissipated in the crowd, they were not marching or moving in a line.
They dissipated, each probably had set a target among the journalists and cameramen.
They were chosing targets, first of all among those who had cameras, tablets, handies in the hands. Then they started beating the targets.
Our cameraman got beaten among the first, we put him in the car and left for a hospital.
When we were at a significant distance already, we noticed a pursuit.
One car was following us, then there appeared another one - it was coming from the opposite direction
It means someone was coordinating the pursuit. Somebody was informing the others.
And then the third car blocked our way near entry to Sevastopol.
Then the beating started. The police knows better how it looks like.
I would call it a professional coercive detention. Very professional, with adequate amount of pressure...
- What were those men saying? Did they keep quiet?
- No, they tried to demoralize us: "Get the ...out, you.. ( followed by bad wording)"
I would say there was more bad wording then words in their speech
"Sevastopol is not Kiev for you. Get back to your Kiev. Remember. Did you get it? Did you get what is going on here?"
I was trying to ease the tension, but I doubt if I succeeded. Once we have returned with injuries.
On the other side, we could have failed to return at all, I think.
Andrey, it's surprising. We know that you have been to all conflict hot spots on the globe that took place in the last few years.
You reported from all those places, negotiated with the most mind-boggling terrorists.
How is it, that in Ukraine, the journalists were attacked like that?
Do you think that it is a deliberate act against the representatives of the press in Crimea?
Until yesterday, I had not sensed people's aggresive attitude towards journalists. Yes, we had argued,
Yes, we had witnessed it in various places where there was a clash of opinions,
when people argue and try to prove their point of view to others in centers of towns.
Here we had similar situations, where people approached us and argued with us,
not listening to what we were telling them.
But with that, there was no aggression.
There was really no hostility, we were negotiating in search for common ground in these discussions,in these interviews.
But yesterday, the real telling signs for me were:
the moment when (a group of) Bulgarian journalists were thrown to the ground, face down on asphalt;
when the Associated Press office in Sevastopol was destroyed; when we were beaten, severely beaten
This morning, the car of the journalists who were stationed at Simferopol District Voenkomat (military recruitment office) was shot at.
So it seems to me that a very methodical extrusion of journalists from Crimea has begun before the so-called referendum.
They are being pushed out of there, so they would not be present there, in my opinion, the there is no unanimity in Crimea
I recognize that perhaps the majority of the residents of Crimea receive Russia warmly.
Perhaps. But it's not the overwhelming majority.
And the minority that wants to live in Ukraine is active enough,
this is middle class, people who own small hotels, who have their small business,
those who are looking for stability, those who are intellectuals, it's those people who want to advance.
Unfortunately, they are in minority and they are physically weak.
They operate better with their brains than with their legs.
They are better at creating practical things than shooting their guns. Unfortunately (that they are in the minority).
That's what's happening there.
As for the hot spots, I can say that now the importance of this question is very high.
Perhaps, there has never been a more difficult and a more costly conflict for the participants of this geo-political game.
The stake in this conflict is very high. That is why the story of one journalist does not matter.
Somebody gives an order, there is a signal. I think what happened with us is the turning point of this conflict.
Somebody gives an order, there is a signal. I think what happened with us is the turning point of this conflict.
I want to say that we here in Kiev, not the journalists, but politicians, military, oligarchs, people who determine the fate of the country,
they simply shut their eyes and don't want to recognize the obvious, the obvious fact --
there are almost thirty thousand foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine.
There are people in Ukraine who support the stationing of those foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine.
Serious provocations against this country are being planned in various locations throughout Ukraine.
There are people, there are many people who want for this country to collapse.
But this is not the collapse yet. It is a crisis, but not collapse.
And I think that the plans of those who spearhead this conflict have been shattered by the actions of our armed forces in Crimea,
of those (military) bases that have not surrendered, even though abandoned and betrayed by their own generals, in my opinion.
They stay strong, they do not surrender, and they are ready to resist.
Andrey, thank you very much for your point of view, for your professionalism and for your courage.