We talked to Oleksii Kovalov, a journalist who has been working in Severodonetsk since the beginning of the hostilities and reporting under the shelling of Russian artillery.
Luhansk region is almost completely occupied by the Russian Federation troops. The region center of Severodonetsk was almost completely destroyed, 80% of residential buildings are not restorable, all critical infrastructure is badly damaged. The fighting for Severodonetsk lasted from February 28 to June 24, 2022. During this time, less than 12-13 thousand people remained in the city of almost 100 thousand, there are many killed and wounded as a result of Russian shelling.
We talked to a journalist who has been working in Severodonetsk since the beginning of the hostilities and reporting under the shelling of Russian artillery. Oleksii Kovalov was in the city for 45 days since the beginning of the war and all this time he was documenting the crimes of the occupiers, damaged buildings and human grief.
«There are only three journalists left in Severodonetsk. I was offered to leave, because it was dangerous to work there, we were photographing right under the arrival of shells. But I could not leave my work, I felt that it was important to document everything that was happening in the city and show it to the world.»
Oleksii left Severodonetsk only when the electricity was completely cut off and he could not continue to transmit the footage.
In addition to journalism, Oleksii was a volunteer, delivering humanitarian aid to people, and feeding animals that were left without owners. He says that he could not watch the city being destroyed, his heart hurt with every shelling, but he continued to shoot burnt houses, smashed cars, destroyed playgrounds. He says it was scary and dangerous, but when he took the camera in his hands, he felt that it was his weapon and he must continue to fight on the information battlefield. Oleksii was awarded the Order of Merit for his activities by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Oleksii has already moved twice because of the war. In 2014, he had to leave his hometown Luhansk, which was occupied by Russian militants. And in 2022, the war caught up with him again in Severodonetsk. Now the journalist lives and works in Zaporizhzhya, shooting reports from the locations of destruction caused by Russian aggression. His photos are published in Ukrainian and international media: «Reuters», «Agence France-Presse», «The New York Times».
«I want to return to my homeland, where my closest person is, where I lived all my life and where every street is familiar. And I believe in the victory of Ukraine and the return of all territories. We cannot lose this war, because the whole world helps and supports us»
Olga Kurshevska, photo by Oleksii Kovalov, March-April 2022
