Journalists Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov spent 20 days in Mariupol at the beginning of the siege that would last nearly three months. The south-eastern Ukranian city is now occupied by Russian forces. RFI met the two Ukrainian reporters at the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents event where they both won prizes.
The award-winning photojournalist Evgeniy Maloletka met Mstyslav Chernov, a documentary photographer and videographer while they were both reporting in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in 2014.
The region was a powder keg stoked by tension after the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv which culminated in the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.
Both journalists documented the annexation of Crimea, clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist groups, the destruction of towns and the failure of the 2015 Minsk peace accord.
War never abated in this part of the country, but it disappeared from the international news radar, until Russia launched its “security operation” on 24 February.
International outcry
Despite the journalists' experience in the field, nothing could prepare them for what they witnessed in Mariupol, the strategic city on the Sea of Azov, where very quickly, scenes of war became everyday currency.
They recorded everything they could, sending images and videos out, despite the difficulty of finding a stable connection and a safe place to connect. Soldiers and police helped them.
On 9 March, they raced over to the scene when they heard rockets land. They saw a huge crater just metres from the maternity hospital no°3.
'Information terrorists'
World leaders, including European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the blast. The EU leader called for an investigation into possible war crimes.
Maloletka and Chernov quickly realised that they were the only journalists left in the area, the others had evacuated some days earlier.
The material they released through the Associated Press agency stirred public opinion both in and outside Ukraine, galvanising the war effort in favour of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Russian authorities got wind of the emerging reports and began actively tracking the journalists. The pair reluctantly left the city along with hundreds of civilians.
“In Russia they labelled us ‘information terrorists’. They said the pictures were staged,” Maloletka told RFI at the joint exhibition of their work in Bayeux.
“Mariupol” is a selection of still photogrpahs and video clips, accompanied by a soundtrack of falling bombs that plunge the viewer into the cold, hard reality of war.
Displayed inside the Chapel of the Tapestry in Bayeux, the content is uncompromisingly presented, a deliberate move by curator Jérôme Delay, and one supported by the journalists themselves.
The use of still images and video of the same scenes is complementary and aids understanding of a complex situation.
“We’re aware of the ongoing debate about how much a viewer can take of graphic images,” Chernov says. “Some images can certainly push a viewer away which we ultimately don’t want, as journalists who want to inform people about what’s really going on. However, by moderating the amount of violence in the image, we take the risk of misrepresenting war as it really is”.
Those left behind
The two men are at pains to hide their anxiety and frustration over the senseless violence they witnessed, as well as their desire to return quickly to the frontline. Every moment spent away from the field means precious minutes of observation lost.
Mariupol is preparing for winter now, explains Chernov, “The city still has no water, almost no electricity, still almost no connection,” he says.
“The journalists’ stories are not as important as the stories of those left behind,” Chernov told the audience on 8 October as he accepted the Bayeux trophy for best video image and second prize for short format television documentary.
“Hopefully our work will change something and help bring an end to this war”.
“It’s not just a story,” echoed Maloletka, who won the Photo Trophy. “It’s heartbreaking, it’s our lives, our neighbours. It’s important for journalists to give a voice to these people”.
“Mariupol” is open to the public until 30 October, in the Chapel of the Tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy.
