THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Sebastian Plocharski, a Polish freelance photojournalist, has been covering the war in Ukraine for nine years. He has been working in the Donetsk Region for a long time. He has used professional protective equipment – a bulletproof vest, a helmet, and a first aid kit – that he has taken for the second year in a row from the Dnipro Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).
The independent documentarian collaborates with many Polish publications, including Newsweek Polska, oko.press, Gazeta Wyborcza. As a director, he prepared documentaries about the war for the BBC TV channel; in particular, he made video material about British volunteers Christopher Perry and Andrew Bagshaw, who died in Soledar.
Sebastian is currently documenting the events in the cities of Toretsk and Niu York of the Donetsk Region for his project MakeCoffeeNotWar.info and is also preparing a film about the evacuation and the situation of people living in eastern Ukraine.
“We go to the front line several times a week, so the protective equipment from the NUJU is constantly used. Trips to Niu York are a real “jump into hell.” Quickly drive there, evacuate people, and return very quickly. Bombs from airplanes, artillery, and kamikaze drones are everywhere all the time,” the journalist says.
During the last trip to Toretsk, the fastening system and shock-absorbing pads failed, and now the helmet does not stay on the head at all.
“We will take care of the replacement of protective equipment for the Polish colleague,” said Natalya Nazarova, the Dnipro JSC coordinator. “And this “used” helmet will be handed over to the museum of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine as evidence of the dangerous and intense work of journalists who document the crimes of the russian occupiers.”
The Dnipro JSC of the NUJU provides high-quality protective equipment – bulletproof vests, helmets branded with the inscription PRESS, and a tactical first aid kit. The equipment is provided free of charge, but it is necessary to have the accreditation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
Call the Dnipro JSC at 050 919 8479 (Nataliya Nazarova, the Dnipro JSC coordinator). The Center’s address is 8 Starokozatska Street.
ABOUT JSC
The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.
ABOUT UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.
Dnipro JSC information service
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