Ukrinform journalists make a report from Sudzha, russia, wearing equipment provided by NUJU

Thanks to protective equipment provided by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), correspondents of the Ukrinform news agency, Myroslav Liskovych, and photographer Kyrylo Chubotyn, visited the city of Sudzha in the Kursk Oblast of russia, which is currently controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

According to Myroslav Liskovych, the trip to the territory of the russian federation was organized by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the escort during the filming was carried out by Ukrainian military personnel.

“Sudzha is in perfect condition for a city located in a war zone. It is incomparable to that of Bakhmut and Avdiyivka… The streets are clean, calm, most of the buildings are not damaged. However, artillery is constantly working: mortar fire can be heard a couple of kilometers away,” the journalist said in a comment to the NUJU.

He notes that local residents do not treat the Ukrainian military as occupiers. They are afraid of them, of course, but at the same time, they perceive them normally and respond favorably.

According to Myroslav, AFU fighters really help the locals as much as possible, bringing them food and water. During the conversation, people do not criticize Ukraine. Although the russians there are mostly “beyond politics” (this position is still unchanged), the events in the Kursk Oblast really influenced the prejudices about “Ukrainian Nazis and Bandera people.”

“We can say that not only the whole world but also residents of the russian federation admire our military,” adds a colleague.

However, the locals do not comment much because they are afraid of the consequences after the return of the russian military to this territory. In a conversation with Ukrinform, however, they emphasized that they were really left to their own devices.

“Most people have left by now. Mostly elderly people remained, but there are also children. There is a family with a small child who lives on the outskirts of Sudzha but does not want to leave and does not support Ukraine’s proposal to evacuate. They say they are ready to stay despite russian shelling,” says Myroslav Liskovych.

In general, it is calm in Sudzha. The destruction is caused by the russian army itself, which fired at its own territory when leaving the settlement.

They also saw the gas measuring station there. The administrative buildings were only slightly damaged, but it (the station) was working. The Sudzha checkpoint has been completely destroyed.

The journalist also noted that there is damaged russian equipment at the entrance to the city – as a display trophy of our army for Ukrainian and foreign journalists. The film crew saw the bodies of russian soldiers, but they mostly do not want to be taken out.

“We would like to thank the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine for the very prompt transfer of equipment. On Thursday evening, we decided to go, and on Friday morning, we were already there. The issue of protection is now incredibly important! Thank you for your cooperation!” emphasized the journalist.

Photo by Ukrinform

NUJU Information Service