Journalist and photographer Taras Ibragimov from "Suspilne" [The Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine] received an award in the competition of professional journalism "Honor of the Profession" in early June 2023. He, along with Olena Dunyak, won in the category of "Best News Coverage of a Resonant Event" for their piece on rescuing people from rubble in Dnipro.

Working in a war is challenging not only because you risk your life on assignments or experience emotional exhaustion but also due to the difficulties of cooperation with the authorities. On June 9, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a statement urging the Ukrainian government to establish transparent accreditation rules for journalists and not to pressure them for their reports. According to the CPJ, journalists from NBC News, The New York Times, CNN, The New Yorker, and "Hromadske" were threatened with revocation of accreditation or were in fact deprived of it due to accusations of violating the rules of work on the frontline, as reported by Detector Media.

We spoke with war reporter Taras Ibragimov about working in a war, temporary loss of accreditation due to coverage of Kherson in the early days after its liberation, how civilians and military can find common ground, and whether Kyiv has changed for him since February 24.

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Taras Ibragimov

On working at the front lines

According to Taras Ibragimov, the main task of a war correspondent is to bring good stories to the editorial office that truthfully and objectively illustrate what the war is. These are stories about military personnel and military actions, about the life of civilians in wartime in cities by the front lines. "You feel when something important is happening in front of you. Usually, it is something terrible, the war in the trenches or the death of civilians. And you understand that this is a story that illustrates what is happening to all of us now," says Ibragimov.

For him, it's vital to communicate that war is not simply about drinking tea in trenches. War is loss, danger, risk, and hard work of the military. And the life of civilians in the frontline territories is not just about humanitarian aid, water, and destroyed homes, it's a completely different reality. "Ask ten people why they don't want to leave a place like Vuhledar, and you'll hear ten completely different stories. That's why you can't generalize," continues the journalist from "Suspilne".

Once, they arrived with volunteers at a dangerous area in Bakhmut. As they were making their exit, they faced shooting. So, they went to the shelter and offered people to evacuate. No one agreed. Only one old lady asked them to take her cats, but not her. Everyone has their own reasons to stay, despite the risks.

Why his accreditation was revoked

When Kherson was liberated, Taras Ibragimov went to cover it. And his accreditation was taken away. "This is an unhealthy practice. I followed all the rules, called Natalia Humeniuk [head of the press center] from DF of South of Ukraine, and told her we plan to go to Kherson when we see it's being liberated. She told me to wait for an official order and that they will inform us when the situation stabilizes," explains Ibragimov. He went to Kherson with the police, who were clearing the area right after the Armed Forces, and documented what was happening in the city's main square.

Although his press card was eventually returned, Ibragimov believes it was wrong for the authorities to revoke his accreditation, and that such actions should not be repeated.

Challenges of working in a war zone

First off, working with press officers can be quite a hurdle. To go on an assignment to the front lines, you need to arrange the work with a certain brigade through a press officer. Taras Ibragimov goes for several weeks to a town near the frontline, like Sloviansk or Kramatorsk, and from there — to the frontline only when he has two or three agreements.

"Working with press officers is challenging. They are necessary on the front lines, but often they do not let you fully do your job in natural conditions with the military," says Ibragimov.

The job of a press officer is to bring the journalist to the front and give them a few hours to work, to bring back material from there. "I would like to stay with the military for a day or two, or a week, I could even spend a month in the trenches, but it's impossible," continues Ibragimov. There are many who are eager to go cover the work of the military. If a brigade is popular on social media, it's even harder to get to them.

"I don't advocate for breaking the rules, but my best report was filmed without a press officer when I managed to get into a trench. I don't regret it, even if they had taken my press card," says Ibragimov.

The other big thing is how worn out they get, and that's not just physically, but morally too. Ibragimov shares that war is very monotonous, it's the same everywhere: it's pain, suffering, losses, and human sorrow in its various forms. "When you've been filming this for a year and a half, it's hard to say something new. You're documenting the same thing day after day. I'm bothered by the fact that we're getting used to the idea that one death is a mention in some Telegram channel, and 40 deaths is a resonant event," explains Ibragimov.

In addition, he notices that the topic of war in Ukraine is no longer so frequently featured on the covers of leading magazines abroad. "I see many foreign journalists on the front lines. They work well, and many of them have something to learn from. At the same time, foreign audiences are getting tired of the war. And I don't know if it's right to blame them. It's a natural process," believes Ibragimov.

How civilians and the military can find common ground

"I think it's important to listen and hear each other, to allow the expression of thoughts. It's a step towards understanding between civilians and the military," says Taras Ibragimov. Moreover, it is vital not to stigmatize the military.

How the war changed Kyiv

"I moved to Kyiv in 2011 from Lutsk. It became something I could call my own, something I deeply understand after the Maidan [The Revolution of Dignity also known as the Maidan Revolution], where I was an activist," Taras Ibragimov shares.

On February 24, 2022, he stayed in Kyiv. "It was surreal – empty avenues, especially Beresteyskiy Avenue [formerly Victory Avenue], which was absolutely anomalous for Kyiv. The first month of the full-scale invasion was painful to watch. Kyiv is about people, it's unnatural for the city to be so empty," recalls Ibragimov.

"Kyiv lives in a war mode, but it also tries to live a life not to go crazy: people go to bars, and cinemas, organize the Docudays festival, and so on. The city does not forget about the war, every second person I know donates," says Ibragimov.

Favorite places in Kyiv

  • We go with friends to Solod for cocktails.
  • We also go to Squat before trips.
  • Before work, I can go either to Blue Cup, because I work on Khreshchatyk, or to Bimbo, on Chykalenko street [formerly — Pushkinska street]. I really love the filter coffee there because I miss good coffee at war.

This publication was prepared under IWPR's Ukraine Voices: Protecting the Frontline project generously funded by UNESCO. The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this discussion and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.