On Monday, three French journalists were in eastern Ukraine, in Krematorsk, where they had to report live for the French TV channel TMC.
But before the host of the TV show “Quotidien” could finish his question, the pitch-black night sky was replaced by a powerful flash of light followed by a reporter who had to run for his life.
Horrified viewers only managed to see their partner fall to the ground, before the TV channel hastily returned to the studio. Watch the video below:
– Terrified
The team, made up of the three journalists Paul Gasnier, Héloïse Grégoire and Théo Palfray, sought shelter in a church where they resumed contact with the studio.
They could therefore say that no one was injured, but that the incident had made a strong impression:
– We were in the parking lot in front of our hotel, and we were the only ones there. We had been there for an hour and were ready for our live report. We don’t know exactly where the missile landed. We heard an incredibly loud noise and everyone filled their eyes and mouths with dust, is Paul Gasnier and added emphatically:
– We were all incredibly scared. My hands are still shaking.
Powerful attacks
The explosion occurred around 20:00 Norwegian time on Monday 2 January and was one of several that hit Krematorsk.
According to the AFP news agency, there were four explosions on Monday evening in the Krematorsk region. Regional authorities said on Twitter that two people were injured in a Russian missile attack on Monday.
Krematorsk did not fall into Russian hands, despite being located in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. One of the four regions which the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to strong international condemnation and illegally annexed in September 2022.
ILLEGAL ANNEXATION: On September 30, 2022, Vladimir Putin held a solemn ceremony in which he declared that he had annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The annexation was internationally condemned and rejected. Photo: DMITRY ASTAKHOV
Several journalists injured and killed
The three French journalists fled in horror, but several journalists were reported injured and killed in Ukraine following the invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022.
According to the International Federation of Journalists, twelve journalists have lost their lives covering the war in Ukraine. There are more of them than any other country in the world. A total of 67 journalists have been killed in 2022.
On the same day as the three Frenchmen, German journalist Bjørn Stritzel was injured in Ukraine. He did not specify his whereabouts, but he is said to have suffered cuts when a window was blown out.
The editor of Stritzel in Bild, Johannes Boie, announced on Twitter that the reporter was safebut that is all for reflection:
– This is a reminder of the suffering that journalists in Ukraine go through to tell the truth. Thank you all!
