“Families are separated forever… and will never speak again. We see a kind of fratricidal hatred»Reports from Kyiv where the journalist Nikolas Vafiadis is. “Buildings are on fire. They bring out corpses and rescued people in a bad condition. “People are crying next to the wreckage,” said the ANT1 war correspondent, describing to Newsbeast scenes he sees while in Ukraine.
Nikolas Vafiadis went to Ukraine in its early days Russian invasion and lives minute by minute the drama of the Ukrainians, the uprooting from their homes holding little of what they have in their hands and the daily bombing.
He has been to 17 wars but this conflict according to him it is distinguished by a “deeper hatred». “Ukrainians, however, are not desperate, they are determined to resist and defend their homeland. “There is a river of rage against the invader,” he explains.
Focusing on the images he sees with his own eyes for about a month now, the ANT1 journalist speaks of total destruction. “What makes a special impression on you, here in Kyiv, is the many broken windows. When there is an explosion in 18-storey apartment buildings, that is, entire skyscrapers, you see their entire facade damaged.
Buildings are on fire, people are trapped inside. They bring out corpses from inside, rescued in a bad condition. “Women and men are crying next to the wreckage because they have lost someone of their own.”
“Brothers are splitting up and will not talk again because they have a different view of the war”
“There are thousands of people here who speak Russian, they may also be of Russian descent, so this gives this war an element of civil war,” says Nikolas Vafiadis.
“Families who are forced to divorce. I have a specific one in mind… One sister was in Ukraine and had to leave, become a refugee abroad while the other lives in Russia. “The two divorced and will never talk again because they have a different view of the war.”
“You can search in 10 supermarkets and not find a single can”
As the 24 hours pass and the bombing continues, shortages of basic necessities increase. There are cities that live on the edge as nothing works except supermarkets and pharmacies. Too many people are forced to stay in shelters for weeks now, this conflict has already been closed for a month and with each passing day things get worse.
“In Kyiv you can look in 10 supermarkets and not find a single can. “Some are trying to open some shops as a measure of resistance, but they are few,” the war correspondent points out.
“The Ukrainians are very angry with the Russian invaders. It is something they did not expect as we are told, they believe that Russia is essentially destroying the country’s infrastructure and creating many innocent victims. “Those who can go either abroad or to safer areas of Ukraine,” says Nikolas Vafiadis.
«The UN estimates that 10 million refugees, ie 1/4 of the population has moved either internally or abroad. The number in my estimation is higher.
People listen to the sirens and they are terrified and disgusted. Some run to the shelters immediately. Others are so tired that they do not even go to the shelterHe adds.
“In war the truth is not easy to find out”
Explosions and shootings are constantly heard, points out Nikolas Vafiadis, speaking about the situation prevailing in the Ukrainian capital.
“Every day we go to goals that are mainly political because the military, of course, is not allowed access as it is reasonable and is done in every war. Usually the blows come either from interception of Russian bombs, rockets, etc. by the anti-aircraft system of Ukraine or from wrong blows, from failures, what we call collateral losses. “From what the Russian forces claim, the third version is that there are some military elements in residential areas,” he notes.
“The Russians claim, for example, that in recently leveled mall There were some cannons of the Ukrainian army, something that the Ukrainian side has denied. In war you know the truth is not easy to ascertain That is why we say that “the first victim of war is the truth”He adds.
Nikolas Vafiadis in the following video describes an explosion that occurred near the hotel where the ANT1 crew lives.
“In wars there are many common features but each has its own uniqueness”
Analyzing the common characteristics of the wars that Nikolas Vafiadis has gone through, he states that there are many. “But everyone has their own uniqueness, which depends on the history of the peoples involved and their culture.”
“Common elements are the images of destruction, the level buildings because we now have very destructive bombs. But there are also unique, new elements. Let’s say in the military field a new element in war in Ukraine is the use of ultrasonic bombs by the Russian side recently while we also had these so-called vacuum bombs which give incredible explosions that look like nuclear.
Another feature of this war that we did not have in any other conflict that I remember is that the nuclear factories are included in the calculations of the military” declares.
According to the war correspondent of ANT1: “Human suffering is also a common feature but here we notice a difference… Because they are neighboring and kind of related peoples, in terms of their Slavic origin but to a certain extent they have common religious traditions, the hatred gets deeper. In other words, it is a kind of fratricidal hatred, while it is an international war with elements of civil war “.
“In the first Gulf War we were given stickers to see if there was a chemical attack”
According to Nikolas Vafiadis, the fear of the use of chemical and biological weapons is now a common feature. “We have been hearing this since the second Gulf War. But I also remember the first Gulf War to see if there is a chemical attack we saw the American forces give something stickers (which they use themselves) which were in khaki color and if a chemical attack took place they would turn yellow with black dots. We checked them constantly; fortunately they never changed color.
We have had chemical warfare masks ever since, it was one of the first things we took together, but here we did not see any colleagues. Nevertheless, we have heard President Biden say that, and I think we should listen to him. “When he said that Russia would attack, many did not believe it and it happened,” points out Nikolas Vafiadis.
“It is natural to worry about the safety of myself and my cameraman, fear is a good advisor in war zones”
“I’m worried and watching each of the 17 wars I’ve covered. “Fear is a good advisor in war zones, as long as it does not reach the limits of panic”, the ANT1 war correspondent emphasizes.
“In a war in which six journalists have already lost their lives, one is ignored and one has lost his leg and his eye, it is natural for me to worry about the safety of myself and my cameraman, Iakovos Stavrinidis,” he added.
“You are called not only to manage your own fears, but also to reassure your people”
Focusing on his family, the journalist states that “it is natural for him to be especially worried when there is a discussion about the use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons, even if this involves the element of exaggeration”.
“In war you are called not only to manage your own fears, but also to reassure your people. Think about the anxieties my wife has gone through, but mainly my two sons in so many wars…
The excitement of the first time is accompanied by ignorance of danger. Over time, experience comes and fills the security gaps. But the excitement accompanies me in every mission of mineSays Nikolas Vafiadis in closing.
Source: News Beast
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