What supports me is the understanding that our region lacks independent media capable of writing about uncomfortable topics. That’s why our media must do that. And, of course, my motivation to work and live is to one day build a family after the war and restore the gene pool that, under current conditions, may not be preserved.
Right now, I am working on two very complex articles — an analysys of satellite images of Donetsk region's bodies of water, which have dried up due to the full-scale war, and a research on the openness of Donetsk’s communities to cooperate with media.
I had to describe in detail, retelling words of the living participants, how the city was lost.
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According to the Ukrainian state program, people whose homes were damaged as a result of military actions are entitled to financial compensation.
Journalist at Vilne Radio.
Radio journalist Yeahen Vakulenko represents Vilne Radio — an independent regional online media outlet from Bakhmut (currently under occupation).
The hardest material for me to work on was the article about the Battle of Soledar. It’s a nearby town which I also know very well.
The only
Material
Today, my main focus is analysing military advances on the front line in the Donetsk region, interviewing soldiers, conducting OSINT analysis of Russian occupiers’ footage and current satellite images, as well as monitoring the budgets and salaries of local officials.
The hardest and yet my favorite task is identifying addresses in occupied Bakhmut using photos posted by Russians so locals can use this data to claim destroyed housing1. Since I haven’t seen the destroyed Bakhmut in person, it still feels like some kind of unreal "movie" to me. Even psychologists haven’t managed to make me change my mind and feelings. At the same time, it’s unlikely I’ll see the city with my own eyes again, and if I do, it will be a heavy blow.
The hardest and yet my favorite task is identifying addresses in occupied Bakhmut using photos posted by Russians so locals can use this data to claim destroyed housing1. Since I haven’t seen the destroyed Bakhmut in person, it still feels like some kind of unreal "movie" to me. Even psychologists haven’t managed to make me change my mind and feelings. At the same time, it’s unlikely I’ll see the city with my own eyes again, and if I do, it will be a heavy blow.
I entered the profession without any formal education in the field. There were not many job opportunities in Bakhmut, and I just wanted to have a job that would allow me to develop my mental skills. At that time, Free Radio was gathering a team for its radio department, and I applied. They saw potential in me.
Donetsk and Lugansk regions are currently under Russian occupation, preventing expert research, so my work now focuses on covering the war and its consequences.
Yevhen
Vakulenko