t has been a little over eight years since Russia invaded Ukraine, in response to its Euromaidan protests and the overthrow of Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych. In a
month, Russia had taken the Crimean Peninsula and moved into the Donbas region in the east of the country. Western coverage of the invasion was often lacklustre, even confused. A situation exacerbated by Russia’s dominance in information warfare – especially online. In particular, its relevance to future global security – let alone that of Europe – was almost completely missed. In 2021, with a drastically different political landscape – one in which disinformation and distortion of the truth reverberated almost everywhere – news agencies aggressively monitored every hour of Russia’s escalation. Not to mention the struggle for Ukraine to defend its own existence, and the response of the international community, or lack thereof. At the end of 2021, as Russia prepared for its February assault, Ukrainian news organisations started to mobilise. New entrants appeared in the space, too. The Kyiv Independent was launched in November by former staff of the Kyiv Post , after the paper suddenly closed. Its English-language journalism, funded by donations, has been an important clearing house for information on the war and the country’s welfare. WHEN 1+1 IS MORE THAN TWO Made up of seven Ukrainian TV channels, as well as several online news platforms, 1+1 Media Group is one of the largest media
conglomerates in Ukraine. The 1+1 news team has, of course, covered the war since it began in 2014. In that time, it has been joined by military correspondents that were regular visitors to combat zones in the Donbas. When the full-scale war broke out on 24 February, the channel had already built up expertise on covering combat, and how dangerous things operate in every region of the country that’s not currently occupied, with a number of studios, including backup locations where broadcasting can go ahead, even in an emergency. Live reporting is widely continuing, despite the destruction of infrastructure. This is in no small part due to connectivity provided by Starlink satellite internet receivers. Elon Musk sent thousands of these kits to Ukraine in March. might get for the channel itself. Journalists from the network
WATCH THIS VIDEO WITH QR CODE
AN INTRODUCTION TO 1+1
Staff on the front lines are risking their lives every day to cover these stories. Reporters Without Borders reported five journalists killed in the first month of fighting alone. In May, a team from 1+1’s TSN daily news programme came under direct fire from illegal cluster munitions in the
feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook