How Ukrainian soldiers report on the battle of Bachmut via TikTok

• Chiem Balduk

  Foreign editor

“Here is Krasava, a fighter of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I am often asked if I am afraid of attacking enemy positions. Well no, there are no enemy positions here in Ukraine. All positions are ours, but they are temporary occupied by those rotten Russians!”

Ukrainian soldier Ivan Kovolets, nicknamed Krasava, looks confidently into the lens of his phone, vlogging through the trenches of Bachmoet. The heaviest battle on the Ukrainian front has been raging here for months, but the area is difficult for journalists to access. Only a few major international media have been able to visit the front city under the supervision of the army.

That does not mean that the battle of Bachmoet is not getting attention. Soldiers report on their life at the front by vlogging on TikTok. For example, the video platform plays an important role in the online representation of the war.

In this video we follow four soldiers at the front in Bachmoet:

The videos show an incomplete and distorted picture of reality and are anything but journalistic in nature. The soldiers themselves determine what they show from the front. “We are not allowed to show everything from our commander,” admits 27-year-old soldier Michaylo from Irpin. “Of course we understand that, because it is for our safety.”

Many images, such as from a dark trench, cannot be traced. Also, certain videos, for example showing the use of heavy weaponry, are not put online until days or weeks later. “In this way we prevent strategically important information from being disclosed,” says a professional soldier who wishes to remain anonymous.

The military vlogs serve multiple purposes, says Michaylo. “Firstly because I want to store my memories. Instead of a diary, I grab my phone and film everything. I also want to show people what happens at the front and what the work of a soldier looks like.” Some military personnel have become influencers. This is how TikTokker ‘Stont123456789‘ has already gained almost 240,000 followers and millions of likes.

Social media also helps the military to stay in touch with the home front. They help them to continue fighting, Michaylo states. “We get a lot of encouragement and support, and some of them volunteer to help us.” Followers eagerly share the videos, accompanied by the hashtag #BakhmutHolds: Bachmoet stands firm. “There are certainly pro-Russian reactions, but I try not to go into that.”

Bachmoet has been lying since the summer constantly under fire. The TikTok images show that the place, once good for more than 80,000 inhabitants, has turned into a largely destroyed ghost town. On the Ukrainian side, thousands to possibly tens of thousands of troops are fighting, on the Russian side, the private army of the Wagner group off the service.

For Dmytro, a 30-year-old software developer who volunteered for the army after the Russian invasion, the TikToks also provide fun. “You have to be able to relax during free moments, so that you can continue afterwards.” The war has taught him that he can enjoy the little things. “For example, good food, or the tranquility of nature.”

Social media and video platforms are also actively used on the Russian side. The private army of the Chechen boss Kadyrov has not been nicknamed ‘the TikTok army’ for nothing. The Kadyrovtsi publish “tough” videos on the platform to expose the notorious and ruthless image to jack up.

They have now been overtaken by the Wagner group on TikTok, just like on the battlefield. From research by the American NewsGuard it turns out that dozens of videos can be found on the Chinese platform in which the violence of the Wagner members is glorified. The videos are not moderated, or only slowly.

As a result, the violence images would have been viewed at least a billion times. A video of a deserter being beaten to death with a hammer was viewed nearly a million times before TikTok took it offline. The company promised improvement in response to the NewsGuard investigation. While not violent; many Wagner videos can still be found on the platform.

All the more reason for Ukrainian soldiers like Michaylo to continue the tiktok about the battle in Bachmut. “I want to leave something on the internet this way, in case something happens to me.”