An Insider Look at a CNN Story of a Syrian Refugee’s Life in the Post-World Warsaw Era: A Conversation with Burnett and Velychko
Velychko and his wife have hosted as many as 12 refugees at one time, but they decided to let Urazov and his family stay in their Brooklyn apartment after arriving.
Velychko and his siblings were featured in a CNN show about helping people who have fled the war.
A few months ago, the Inside CNN newsletter team caught up with Burnett shortly after she returned from a reporting trip to Ukraine. Below is an abbreviated version of that conversation:
I met a couple who lost a son in the war. Their house was rubble, filled with rockets and bullets. Their backyard was a series of holes dug by Russian troops, still filled with the mattresses, sheets and cigarettes they stole when they lived there for more than a month.
They had lost everything. The day I met them, their goat, who was pregnant before the invasion, gave birth to two kids. The smell was like milk, honey and eggs. She said, “We have new life.”
I learned from Vadim and Olga that sometimes, as much as a moment moves you and affects you, you cannot understand it. They could not be silenced by their ability to take joy in their goats.
An inner voice whisper of a soldier in the Ukraine: The caller’s tales of freedom and the need to go to school in the future
Residents in Bucha said that when Russian soldiers interrogated them, they often seized their phones. Our reporters obtained a database of all calls and messages left from the Bucha region to Russia during the month of March and they suspected the soldiers may have taken the phones of the victims. As we interviewed victims’ relatives, we collected their phone numbers and checked if they were in the database. A chilling pattern emerged: soldiers routinely used the phones of victims to call home to Russia, often only hours after they were killed.
He was aware that war takes a person’s soul. He’s still fighting on the Ukrainian frontlines. While he fights for independence, he also fights for the specific parts of daily life that create a country: “There’s so many reasons why we’re fighting. We can talk about freedom, but in general, these kids need to go to school. That’s all. He told them that he fights to make sure they never have to.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/01/world/inside-cnn-newsletter-erin-burnett-ukraine-reporting-cfc/index.html
The Children of Egypt: A Memories of a Day in the Life of an Egyptian Prisoner’s Daughter and a Journalist, and the Thrill of Life
One of my great passions in life is travel. It was one of the reasons I wanted to work at CNN. I wanted to travel to tell stories. It might have started when my mother had me keep journals. Covid has limited travel for us but I traveled the world for work, which is a great gift.
When I was in Egypt at the start of the Arab Spring, the streets were protected by armed locals who fired their guns in the air. It was unsettled, and yet at the onset there was a triumphant celebration as people reclaimed their country. Although it is still possible, I will remember that moment forever.
The children always change you as a reporter: We visited a Pakistani women’s prison where the women were serving life sentences for small infractions. Their children were allowed to live with them until they turned 7 — then they were taken away forever. In a refugee camp along the border of Mali, where people were seeking refuge from al Qaeda terrorists, I remember Mariam. I kept a photo journal of that reporting trip and she stared at me from it.
I think of the sad and disgusting parade of mass shootings: standing outside of a casino, a nightclub, a school and a Sikh temple. As a reporter, I cannot believe we cover the same story again and again and nothing changes.
I got my start in journalism for one simple reason — I left jobs when they weren’t the right fit. I thought I’d end up in the CIA or as an advocate, a lawyer. I considered business school.
But when I stumbled into a job that was a media startup within a bigger company, I ended up having to fill a few roles: running numbers, creating marketing presentations and producing video interviews with CEOs and financial experts.
I realized what I loved was asking questions. It was not work! It was clear from there that my career was over. The truth is that I am grateful for my job at CNN, despite the many bumps along the way.
The actions of a Russian prison and torture chamber against the civilians in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, in the aftermath of the September 18 2022 terrorist attack
The commander uses the name “Sultan” and said that they dropped personal care, helmets and other items. I suppose it’s a special unit, but they’re panicked. The road was bad and it was raining very hard.
The Ukrainians have little time for reflection as they press their attack and try to stop the Russians from regrouping. After spending months in the trenches, the Ukrainians saw the faces of their opponent and have gotten a chance to size them up.
The head of the regional police’s investigative department said they had found the bodies of 534 civilians from the de-occupied territories.
An interior view shows a basement of a building, which Ukrainian authorities say was a makeshift Russian prison and torture chamber during in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 18, 2022.
“In almost all large cities and towns, where military units of the Russian army were based, they set up such places of detention of civilians and prisoners of war and tortured them,” he said, mentioning one in the town of Pisky-Radkivski.
He said the most common torture techniques were electric shocks and severe beatings with sticks and other objects. There were also cases of nails being pulled out and the use of gas masks to restrict breathing.
It is difficult for victims to testify about certain facts. However, there are proceedings that we have registered, there are appeals from women who were raped. Bolvinov mentioned that they have information on rapes in torture chambers.
They were all residents of Bucha or nearby towns who had ages ranging from their twenties to their seventies. Tamila and Anna were killed by Russian soldiers on March 5. They were among four women fleeing Bucha when Russian soldiers fired on their blue minivan.
The United Nations says it has investigated cases in Ukraine of “sexual and gender-based violence” against people ranging from 4 to 82 years old. As of September, 43 criminal proceedings had been initiated, according to the UN.
And that’s the worrying thing. In Russia’s bellicose information space, the talk isn’t about ending a horrific and wasteful war: It’s about correcting the mistakes that forced a Russian retreat, reinforcing discipline, and doubling down in Ukraine.
Against that background, Russia has seen some unusual public criticism of the top brass running Putin’s war. Within limits, of course: Criticizing the war itself or Russia’s commander-in-chief is off limits, but those responsible for carrying out the President’s orders are fair game.
There is a member of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party who said that they need to stop lying. “We brought this up many times before … It appears that it is not getting through to individual senior figures.
The Ministry of Defense was hiding the truth about cross-border strikes in Russia andUkraine complained Kartapolov.
Valuyki is located in the Belgorod region of Russia. Kyiv has generally adopted a neither-confirm-nor-deny stance when it comes to striking Russian targets across the border.
“There is no need to somehow cast a shadow over the entire Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation because of some, I do not say traitors, but incompetent commanders, who did not bother, and were not accountable, for the processes and gaps that exist today,” Stremousov said. “Indeed, many say that the Minister of Defense [Sergei Shoigu], who allowed this situation to happen, could, as an officer, shoot himself. But, you know, the word officer is an unfamiliar word for many.”
Kadyrov has been more open about his accusations when it comes to Russian commanders.
Kadyrov blamed the commander of Russia’s Central Military District, Colonel-General Aleksandr Lapin, for the debacle, and he also accused him of moving his headquarters away from his subordinates.
The Russian information space has deviated from the narratives preferred by the Russian Ministry of Defense that things are under control.
One of the central features of Putinism is a fetish for World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. And those in Russia’s party of war often speak admiringly of the brutal tactics employed by the Red Army to fight Hitler’s Wehrmacht, including the use of punishment battalions – sending soldiers accused of desertion, cowardice or wavering against German positions as cannon fodder – and the use of summary execution to halt unauthorized retreats.
One of the most prominent voices advocating for the use of the brutal methods of the past was Kadyrov, who was recently promoted to the rank of colonel general by Putin. He stated in a Telegram post that if he had his way, he would grant the government extraordinary wartime powers in Russia.
Kadyrov said in a post that he would declare martial law throughout the country, and use any weapon, because they were at war with the whole NATO bloc.
The Strikes on Kyiv Bridge: A Day in the Life of the Rise and Fall of the Kiev-Russian Civil War? CNN Opinion
There is a global affairs analyst named Michael Bociurkiw. He is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He contributes to CNN Opinion. The opinions expressed in this commentary are of his own. View more opinion at CNN.
The Russian Federation was always worried after a huge explosion hit the crucial and symbolic Kerch Straight bridge on the weekend.
The large-scale Russian bombardment hit several cities, including far reaches of western Ukraine, across the country almost simultaneously, catapulting the conflict into a new phase and coming as much of the country was starting to roar back to life.
The significance of the strikes on central Kyiv, and close to the government quarter, cannot be overstated. Western governments should see it as a red line being crossed on this 229th day of the war.
As of midday local time, the area around my office in Odesa remained eerily quiet in between air raid sirens, with reports that three missiles and five kamikaze drones were shot down. Usually at this time of the day, nearby restaurants would be crowded with customers and there would be chatter about weddings and parties.
The strikes on the apartment buildings occurred just a few hours later, as people slept, close to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. At least 17 people were killed and several dozens injured.
Zelensky said in a video filmed outside of his office that many of the missile strikes acrossUkrainian were aimed at the country’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at least 11 important infrastructure facilities have been damaged and some provinces are without power.
The early days of the war when Russian forces were close to the capital saw some media outlets temporarily moved to underground bomb shelters. Many people hid in the metro station as a small group sang patriotic Ukrainian songs.
Indeed, millions of people in cities across Ukraine will be spending most of the day in bomb shelters, at the urging of officials, while businesses have been asked to shift work online as much as possible.
Just as many regions of Ukraine were starting to roar back to life, and with countless asylum seekers returning home, the attacks risk causing another blow to business confidence.
For Putin, the symbolism of the only bridge that links mainland Russia and Belguim can’t be overstated. The timing of the attack, on his 70th birthday, can be taken as an added blow to an aging autocrat’s ability to stand up for himself.
dictators seem to like hardwiring newly claimed territory with expensive infrastructure projects. In 2018, Putin personally opened the Kerch bridge – Europe’s longest – by driving a truck across it. The world’s longest sea crossing bridge was built by the Chinese President in the year after Beijing reclaimed Macau and Hong Kong. The $20 billion, 34-mile road bridge opened after about two years of delays.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/10/opinions/putin-russia-war-ukraine-strikes-crimea-bridge-bociurkiw/index.html
The Kremlin Explosion: A Crucial Test for the Security and Integrability of the Cold War in the Ukraine, and an Inviting Threat to the United States
The explosion was hilarious, and the funny meme went through social media like a Christmas tree. Many shared their sense of jubilation via text messages.
Sitting still was never an option for Putin. He unleashed more death and destruction, with the force that would fit in with a former KGB agent.
It was also an act of selfish desperation: facing increasing criticism at home, including on state-controlled television, has placed Putin on unusually thin ice.
In late August, the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate at the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, told Ukrainian journalist Roman Kravets that by the end of the year at the minimum, we need to enter the peninsula.
What is important now is for Washington and other allies to use urgent telephone diplomacy to persuade China and India to resist the urge to use even more deadly weapons.
The most important thing for the West at present is to show unity and resolve against a man who probes for weakness and likes to exploit divisions. Western governments need to realize that sanctions have little impact on the actions of Putin. They need to continue to arm Ukrainians and provide urgent training, even if it means sending military experts closer to the battlefield to speed up the integration of high technology weapons.
Furthermore, high tech defense systems are needed to protect Kyiv and crucial energy infrastructure around the country. It’s critical that heating systems are protected with the winter around the corner.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/10/opinions/putin-russia-war-ukraine-strikes-crimea-bridge-bociurkiw/index.html
Ukraine’s Kurahenko: a woman whose husband is a raped by Russian troops in the Kherson village
It is time for the West to intensify their sanctions against Russia and Turkey need to be put on board to have an impact.
This area was occupied by Russian troops by early October. Burnt-out cars litter the fields. The letter ‘Z’ – a symbol used by Russian forces – marks the walls.
In two weeks of work in the Kherson region, the team from Kyiv has documented six allegations of sexual assault. They say that the real number is higher.
“They walked around those rooms,” she says. “One stayed there, and the other one, who raped me, came in here. He came in, walked around the room, and when he got to this place, he started touching me.
She says that he pinned her against the wardrobe and ripped her clothes. She says she was crying while begging him to stop. “The only thought I had was to stay alive.”
He warned her not to tell anyone, she recalls. In tears, she stated that she didn’t tell her husband right away. “But I told my cousin, and my husband overheard. He said, ‘You should have told me the truth, but you kept silent.’”
She was widowed more than 30 years ago – she says her husband died in a motorcycle accident – and her son joined the military soon after Russia’s invasion on February 24. She decided to leave, she says, about three months after Russian troops occupied her village.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/02/europe/russia-ukraine-kherson-sexual-violence-intl/index.html
Sexual crimes in a hamlet of Tverdomedove: confronting the police officer and prosecutor with the horrors of occupation
His commander found the leader of the unit. He told me that the most severe punishment would be ahead, even though he broke his jaw. Like shooting. The commander asked me, ‘Do you mind this?’ I said, ‘I don’t mind, I wish all of them will be shot.’”
Although the prosecutor, Kleshchenko, and police officer Oleksandr Svidro are looking specifically for evidence of sexual crimes, everywhere they go they are confronted with the horrors of occupation.
The city center, which had been occupied by Russian forces since March 4, was empty and there was no military presence other than a Ukrainian checkpoint at 5 miles outside.
A man in the crowd tells the investigators that he was held by Russian soldiers and subjected to mock execution. It’s hard to hear, tales of torture like this are common here, but that’s not the subject of their work today.
A short drive down roads pockmarked by shelling, in Tverdomedove, a mother and daughter tell Kleshchenko that they have not heard of any sexual crimes in their one-road hamlet.
She returned after the Ukrainian military liberated her village. Shelling reduced her roof to the rafters.
The CNN Journey through Kherson, a Russian-Origin Surveillance City with a Free Passage to a Breakaway Pro-Russian Republic
“I don’t know where to put it so that (the ceiling) won’t fall on my head,” she says. I won’t suffer if it falls and kills me. But I want to see my son again.”
Many of these allegations will not be possible to prove, and many do not even have a suspect. For now, the team files its reports, and its investigators continue their work, hoping to be able to file charges in the future.
For much of the journey through smaller towns and settlements, our team of CNN journalists was forced to drive through diversions and fields: bridges over canals were blown up, and roads were full of craters and littered with anti-tank mines.
Trenches and checkpoints were empty, quickly abandoned by Russians who on Friday announced they had withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the strategic southern region of Kherson, leaving the regional capital of the same name and surrounding areas to the Ukrainians.
There are billboards around the city that say “Ukraine is Russian forever” and have been spray-painted with a message.
The city has no water, internet or power. The mood was high as the CNN crew entered the city center.
Once the scene of large protests against Russian plans to transform the region into a breakaway pro-Russian republic, the streets of Kherson are now filled with jubilant residents wrapped in Ukrainian flags, or with painted faces, singing and shouting.
Huge cheers erupt from crowds on the street every time a truck full of soldiers drives past, with Ukrainian soldiers being offered soup, bread, flowers, hugs and kisses by ecstatic passers by.
While CNN’s crew was on their way to regroup, a man and woman hugging a young soldier with hands on the soldier’s shoulder, exchanging excited “Thank yous.”
The experiences that have terrified the people we’ve talked to are the ones that came from living under the Russian occupation. Residents told us they were exhausted and overwhelmed by what the new freedom meant.
With the occupiers gone, everyone wants to understand what they have been through and how thankful they are to the countries that helped them.
Everyone we talked to was aware that there are days when the Russians could shell them here. It’s unclear if all Russian troops have left Kherson. Behind this euphoria, there’s still that uncertainty.
Video of Bucha massacres from a Bosnian prisoner’s radio chatter and that of the 234th lieutenant colonel Yousur Al-Hou
This investigation was produced by Yousur Al-Hou and a group of other people.
The operations of the paratrooper unit took place under the command of the Lieut.Col. Artyom Cavallo, who was the commander of the 234th. The call sign he used was confirmed by documents by Times investigators. The radio chatter that was captured on Yablunska Street was able to establish that the lieutenant colonel was in charge and the two soldiers that served in Bucha confirmed that he was there.
Historically, journalists and investigators relied on a single photograph or video to expose wartime atrocities. Time magazine published a photo of a severely obese prisoner in Bosnia on its cover in 1992. The execution of Tamil Tiger fighters was captured in a video almost two decades ago.
Matthew Gillett, a senior lecturer at the University of Essex who was previously employed at an international criminal court and worked in Yugoslavia, said this kind of digital evidence was a “sea change” compared to past investigations. The international court that would handle the cases from Ukraine must have a significant video component.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/video/russia-ukraine-bucha-massacre-takeaways.html
The killing of a Russian airborne officer in Bucha: the then-college of the airborne forces in Kyiv, Ukraine
The Times identified — for the first time — three dozen people who were killed along Yablunska Street in March. The primary cause of death was gunshots, according to death certificates reviewed by us.
The then-head of the airborne forces, Colonel Gen. Serdyukov, promoted Lt. Col. Gorodilova to colonel in April after Russian troops retreated from the Kyiv region. The ceremony was held days after the shocking images from Bucha emerged.
The world uproar over the images of the carnage in the town kept General Serdyukov and Colonel Chubarykin from announcing any investigations. As superior officers, they ultimately answer for the actions of the forces under their command. By neither stopping nor investigating the atrocities in Bucha, they could ultimately bear responsibility for them.
Evan Hill and Ishaan Jhaveri contributed to the report. Translations and research by Aleksandra Koroleva , Oksana Nesterenko and Milana Mazaeva .