“The blast wave lifted the woman into the air and threw her out of the apartment”: military Elena Gramova about work in Kramatorsk

“We were in Bakhmut at the place where the American volunteer died”

“I remember when the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the channel’s management suggested that I leave the city for a quieter area. Elena says. - I could move to Kyiv, where they offered housing. But she said: “No, I am staying in Kramatorsk, I will work here.” Three more times during this time they offered to leave, but I refused.

“Despite the sheer danger. Why?

- In the first two weeks of the big war, it became clear that many local channels were closed. There are practically no television journalists left in Kramatorsk. A week before the invasion, many foreign journalists appeared in the city. For me it was a matter of professionalism to work on the information front.

When did this war start for you?

- I am still registered in the temporarily occupied territory - in Yenakiyevo, Donetsk region. My family is still there. Therefore, for me, as an ordinary person, the war began in 2014 with the appearance of difficulties in moving to my hometown. At the beginning of 2014, I could still drive through checkpoints, but when I started working for regional television, my journalistic ID became dangerous. Now for my relatives in Yenakiyevo, the situation is very difficult: they are forced to take Russian passports, threatening that otherwise they will not have access to hospitals and other social services. A friend called, cried, said: “What should I do? I don’t want that passport! I myself in Kramatorsk in 2014 felt that living under occupation.

Were the Russians in the city then?

- The most massive war then was in Slavyansk. Kramatorsk is 12 kilometers away, and we constantly heard shelling. There were fewer Russians in Kramatorsk, but the presence was felt. Cars with Russian flags drove around the city. In front of my eyes, the military stopped a civilian car, threw the driver out of it, beat him up and took the car away. Then aviation did not work at the front, there were no missiles. Only artillery worked. And in Kramatorsk for the first time flew in 2015.

– Do you remember that day?

- It was February 9, I was just on the street - I was going to receive a package. I heard outputs that sounded very strange. Like they were right next to each other. I remember hiding in the house, and in the blink of an eye everything somehow calmed down, the connection was lost. And when I got out, I saw that a cassette from a shell was sticking out 20 meters from me. It was right on the main street. Recently, I again remembered that despair …

- You then worked as a military journalist?

- No, I was not connected with television at all. I have been a radio host for many years. And when my station was closed, in 2016 my husband and I left for China. And it so happened that they stayed there for two years. In 2018, they returned, and I was offered a job on television. Then somehow there was no such position - “war correspondent”. But starting in 2022, all journalists covering the war have become military.

Do you remember your first trip to the front?

- These were the advanced positions between the Luhansk region and the Donbass. We had an editorial task on the eve of Independence Day 2019. I remember it was very hot then, about 35 degrees. And I’m in bones, body armor. It was two kilometers to the place where we filmed the story! Because at the front it is not possible to get everywhere by car.

That was the first time I heard how a mortar works. I confess it was scary. You can’t see, but only hear the whistle. You look at the military - they are standing calmly, and everything inside me is seething. Then the guys taught: “Do not be afraid, if you hear that something is flying, it means that it is not for us. But when it flies for us, we won’t hear.”

“They say you can’t lose fear in war.

- It’s right. Frankly, during this year, the driver and I were on the verge of life and death several times. Recently, they worked near Bakhmut near the “point of indestructibility.” And then they found out that as soon as they left, a shell flew there and the man’s leg was torn off. We were in Bakhmut at the place where the American volunteer died. We went there literally the next day: by his car, which was shot by an anti-tank missile, there were already three more smashed up. We filmed the story seven minutes later and left. Later, the rescuers said that this is a very dangerous place, because it is completely shot through. At that moment, something inside me calmed down.

You are talking to the driver. Does the operator travel with you?

“Now I shoot myself. I had two operators, but in March last year they left. We were left alone with the driver, who lives in the village between Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. That’s how we work.

Where do you get strength and courage?

- This is definitely not a desire to flicker in the frame. Donbass is my home, which I love very much. I want to show what horror the Russians are doing there now. This should be seen and understood by people not only in Ukraine. I know I do everything on my front. In addition, I do volunteer work. I see how the opinion of local residents is changing, among which there are those who were expecting Russia.

“I heard a voice from under the rubble. I can’t describe what I felt then.”

— How was your morning on February 24, 2022?

— There were two explosions in Kramatorsk. The first sounded somewhere half past five in the morning. My husband and I woke up, but did not open our eyes. Both thought we were dreaming. And when it exploded a second time, they exploded from the bed. Everything was clear: the war had begun. Frankly, this was not a surprise to us. I quickly got dressed, the driver arrived, and we began to work. Then panic arose in the city, we talked with people, made “live broadcasts”. And then the usual work of a war correspondent began.

See also: “The house took off into the air and began to fall on us”: military Evgeny Kitaeva about work at the front

- Kramatorsk, unfortunately, was hit by devastating missile strikes more than once during the full-scale invasion. A house has recently been demolished.

- It’s a minute and a half walk from me to this house! Then I was at home, talking with a familiar phone. The explosion was almost not heard, but instantly a very strong blast wave went through the apartment. She went in through the front door and out the window, everything shook. I realized that something terrible happened very close. I quickly got dressed, ran outside and saw hell … There was simply no half of the house!

— What did you feel then?

“It was a terrible night for me. When I got home, I couldn’t sleep for a long time. I saw the body of a woman who was lifted into the air by the blast wave and simply thrown out of the apartment, hitting the ground. I heard a voice from under the rubble. It is impossible to describe how I felt then. Frankly, I cried. At first it seemed that it was a child. Then it turned out that there were no children there. It was the woman who was rescued.

See also: “Mom and sister’s legs were amputated”: 11-year-old Yaroslav takes care of his wounded relatives after the shelling of the station in Kramatorsk

- Psychologists say that it will be difficult to proceed from the psychological state in which we are now.

– We often talk about it. But … let’s think after the Victory. In fact, not everything is so bad. Recently we were on the set near Svyatogorsk. Suddenly, on the way, we saw a visiting restaurant, very beautiful, like abroad. It turned out that these are two Dutch volunteers who have been traveling with this restaurant to different cities since the beginning of the war, and now in the Donetsk direction. I’m tired of filming the destruction, but here is such a story! It turned out to be very positive material. After this, you believe that soon everything will be fine! The same feeling appears when you talk with our military. Even in Bakhmut I never heard from them that there is horror. The mood of the defenders is awesome!

— Where do you want to meet Victory?

- In the Donbass. We deserve everything back. When the word “Victory” is heard, I want to cry. And now everyone is working to ensure that it comes soon! Many people risk their lives for it. Many laid down their lives. Therefore, victory is inevitable!

The Reporters at War project was created with the participation of CFI, the French media development agency, within the framework of the Hub Bucharest project with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Recently also published the story of the military ICTV Oleg Kornienko, who admitted that he dreams of meeting Victory in the sacked Donetsk. For the eighth year now, the reporter has been going to the front, visited its hottest spots. Oleg recently returned from Bakhmut.