One piece that never saw
the light of day was dedicated
to my colleague, writer
and journalist Viktoria Amelina.
The headline was: “She loved
Donbas to death.” She loved
Donbas, and a Russian missile
ended her life there.
I was the first to reach
the scene, but beyond taking
photos, there was nothing
more I could do.
Europeans
and
my audience
will
have the chance
to hear the truth.
1
The only
Material
Between 24 February 2022 and 24 April 2025, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)
has recorded 130 physical assault alerts affecting 217 media workers in Ukraine.
1
Cooperate with Oleksandr
Donetsk Airport
Donetsk Airport
Photo credit:
OLEKSANDR KHUDOTEPLYI
Although the work is challenging, as long as I continue,
Today, my main challenges are the danger of creating a report and entering a restricted red zone for military personnel. Technically, it has become much harder to work — now, to reach frontline areas, you need to have electronic warfare equipment (EW) and an off-road vehicle. And, of course, the classic challenge for all journalists: people telling you, “Don’t film here, because rockets might land here later,” and “Are you guiding the missiles?”
Donetsk Airport
Donetsk Airport
Photo credit:
Serhiy Loyko
Before the war, I wrote about sports and civilian matters. After the full-scale invasion, my focus shifted to human suffering, broken lives, and the horrors of war. While writers about death isn’t easy — choosing the right words, deleting, rewriting, and keep on going — people still continue to be my central focus.
When I was a child, my grandfather subscribed to the newspaper. I was still learning to read, struggling with individual letters and not understanding who wrote it all. Back then, I was told that stories were written by authors, while news came from journalists. News had to be read today, but stories could wait. Later, during a school trip to the local newspaper office, I realised I wanted to be the person writing texts that couldn’t wait, that had to be read right now. I remember Churchill’s words, which soli-dified my motivation: “He who controls information, controls the world.” But I didn’t seek to control it; I wanted to offer the world more truth.
Before the war, Donetsk ranked second
in Ukraine after Kyiv for car sales.
With my long-standing passion for
automobiles, I regularly wrote reviews
on the latest car models. I had already
been preparing for a business trip
to Germany to interview the chief
designers of Volkswagen and Porsche,
but on May 6, 2014, Donetsk airport
cancelled all flights, and combat
operations began. The company relocated,
and I stayed behind. Suddenly, there
were no new cars, no more advertising
or reviews — just war, and I found
myself in the middle of it.
International journalist covering the Russian war in Ukraine. Originally from Snizhne, Donetsk region (currently under occupation). Lives and works in Druzhkivka (20 km from the front line).
Working as a reporter, local producer, writer, and documentary director, Kachura has devoted over 10 years to documenting the war in Ukraine. He actively conveys current events to the world through collaborations with international media outlets and publishers such as Postimees, ERR, DW, ZDF, ATV, and previously CNN, Vice News, and Le Monde. He is also one of the co-authors of the book 'Shreds of War: Fates from the Donbas Frontline, 2014–2019', as well as its second volume, 'Shreds of War. Vol. 2: Fates from Crimea, 2015–2022'.
Oleksandr
Kachura