Journalist Olena Vozna: “The war seemed to be following us.”

Olena Vozna is a television journalist who worked on the STB channel in the “One for All” project before the full-scale invasion. On February 24, she was supposed to start a new chapter in her life and take on a new position, but the massive shelling of peaceful Kyiv shattered all her plans. In the early days of the war, Olena’s sole and primary task was to preserve her own life. She sought refuge in Zhytomyr Oblast, but it seemed like the occupiers were pursuing her.

“I didn’t immediately understand what was happening, and then I heard a powerful explosion.”

— On February 23, a colleague and I submitted our resignations, expecting promotions on the 24th. We celebrated that evening, and I had a salon appointment at 8 AM for a fresh start. Returning home at 1 AM, I slept, but at 5 AM, I woke to active discussions outside. Unusual for our area,— recalls Olena. — I heard girls discussing long lines and leaving with their children. At first, I didn’t grasp the situation, but then a powerful explosion shook the air.

That explosion completely woke up the journalist. In desperation, she immediately started calling her colleagues. A few hours later, the management asked everyone to evacuate.

— My brother and I planned to stick together. He lived with a friend who had a family. We debated our options, including Kirovohrad Oblast. However, being from Mykolaiv, I feared potential risks to the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant and Voznesensk. Eventually, my brother’s friend suggested Zhytomyr, where his father lived. So, we chose to head there and settle,— the TV journalist narrates.

However, leaving on the same day proved impossible. A few hours later, heavy shelling of Kyiv began. Olena spent the night in a shelter with her brother and friends, and around five in the morning, they set off for the Zhytomyr region.

— We planned the route to avoid all potentially dangerous areas. We kept as far away from the airport and factories as possible. When we were on the Zhytomyr highway, they were firing on Zhuliany airport. We had a system: one window was open, so one person would listen to gauge how close the shots were (if the glass trembled, we knew we had to find cover), while the other person would ‘be on the phone’ and look for shelter, a place to stop and wait,— Olena recalls.

“Russian tanks are already in the forest there. They might be hidden, but we all see them.”

— Our first stop was in the town of Makariv in Kyiv Oblast. We planned to buy supplies for the journey there. Olena couldn’t have imagined that Russian rockets would strike those shops the next day.

— The following day, we saw on video that Russian forces had entered. There were airstrikes – right near those little shops where we had coffee. It felt like the war was following us— the conversation continued.

In the first days in Zhytomyr, life resembled a marathon of round-the-clock news tracking and attempts to contact friends and family.

— We tried to stay up as late as possible and wake up as early as possible not to miss anything. We took shifts: one person monitored while the others slept. One day, a local guy’s father came and said with a smile, ‘Russian tanks are already in the woods. They might be hidden, but we all see them.’ There were cameras in the woods, and forest rangers did indeed see them. That’s when we realized we needed to move on,— Olena recounts.

Her relatives suggested moving to Kolomyia, to Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. As long as there were no explosions, Olena was okay.

— After about half a month, I got in touch with my management, and we discussed how to plan our work and reformat, and within a month, we were already working – things worked out somewhat. But by the end of May, they told us there was no advertising, only ‘social issues,’ which didn’t generate revenue, and the channel couldn’t pay salaries— the journalist sighs.

“They were afraid I might leave within a week, but this job is important to me.” 

Again, a challenge. As young people say today, a new challenge – finding a job during the war.

— At the Employment Center, the girls initially looked at me strangely. Everyone asked, ‘Are you sure you’re not here for a TV program?’ I answered that no, I’m looking for a job. There aren’t many media outlets in Kolomyia. I went to a TV channel and another local publication, but regional media outlets barely have enough funds to maintain their current staff, let alone hire new ones. Then they offered me a job in the press service of the district state administration. They asked a few times, ‘You understand, this is civil service, and sometimes the pay is less than the minimum wage.’ In short, they were afraid I might leave within a week, but this job was important to me,— Olena confesses.

And she didn’t leave the civil service job – not after a month or two. She continues to work and has no plans to return to Kyiv. Olena will spend the most challenging winter for Ukraine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

For the first time, I’m glad that time is passing so quickly.”

— Now it’s a new winter, but I feel like it’s still the previous one – February 24. My perception of time is entirely different now. For the first time, I’m happy that time is passing quickly. One day, two, a month went by… I’m so glad because I understand we’re getting closer to victory with each passing day, week, month. And that gives hope that Ukraine can return, maybe not to the life it had, but to a peaceful one,— Olena Vozna, a former journalist of the “One for All” project, concludes.

This series, titled Executed Free Speech, is created as part of a project Drawing Ukrainian And International Audience’s Attention To Serious Violations Of Human Rights And Crimes Against Journalists And Mass Media By The Russian Federation,  which is performed by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, with support from the Swedish non-profit organization Civil Rights Defenders.

JOURNALISTS ARE IMPORTANT. Stories of Life and Work in Conditions of War is a cycle of materials prepared by the team of the NUJU with the support of the Swedish human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders.

 #CRD