On Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I was in Ukraine for the first time in 2016 and got to know the startup scene there in Odessa. Since then, I have often been to Ukraine for work and pleasure.

In my blog post about my first visit to Odessa I recorded my impressions. To this day I am friends with the founders I met back then.

Sergey: Bombed apartment in Irpin

In my article I introduced, among others, Sergey, who worked on BalMuMu. His startup no longer exists; he moved to the capital Kyiv a long time ago. I don't have to worry, he said on the first day of the war of aggression, he now lives in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. It is definitely safer in the suburbs than in Kyiv itself.

Sergey's bombed-out apartment. Due to well-founded fear of another attack, the exact location and date will not be published.

The place that I had never heard of before is now known to everyone - as one of the most hotly contested cities. The disturbing images went around the world. Sergey's apartment was also hit by a rocket. Fortunately, he was able to escape with his family to a small town in western Ukraine.

Yaroslav: Safe in the Odessa area

Yaroslav, who worked on Kaznachey - a kind of Ukrainian PayPal - still lives in Odessa. This city has so far been spared from major attacks, but Russian attacks from the Black Sea are expected at any time.

When an editor from the ARD television show “Europamagazin” contacted me because she needed reliable sources for a report from Odessa, I put her in touch with Yaroslav. He and his family are currently in the countryside about 75km outside of Odessa, where the likelihood of an attack is hopefully lower.

He tells his story in the first few minutes Europamagazin, which will be published on March 27, 2022 in First was broadcast.

Yaroslav. Screenshot European magazine March 27, 2022

Ukrainian media - some background information

The media system in Ukraine works somewhat differently than that in Western Europe. On the one hand, this is because Russia leaves no stone unturned to spread fake news. On the other hand, the vast majority of media companies are all owned by oligarchs. Their outlets are less committed to the truth than to the interests of the owner. You should know these if you use Ukrainian media as sources.

Therefore, on the eve of the war, I in a Twitter thread presented the most important Ukrainian media and tried to classify them.

Rada TV, the news channel of the Ukrainian parliament @ua_parliament, has been broadcasting from the underground car park since 8:35 p.m. local time (i.e. for an hour).#Ukraine #ukraina #UkraineUnderAttack #UkraineInvasion pic.twitter.com/PN9dfxi8r2 — Oliver Flueckiger 🇺🇦 (@oliverflueckige) February 25, 2022

The Ukrainian television channels are now connected; the four major private broadcasting groups 1+1, Inter, StarLightMedia and Ukraine as well as the state one Rada TV and the public broadcasting broadcast a joint news program around the clock. Each actor designs their multi-hour slot individually. An English-language dubbed translation is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxveKChQ04

The 1+1 group, the oligarchs Ihor Kolomoyskyi is assigned, made President Zelenskyi great and his (very worth seeing!) series “Servants of the People” (with German subtitles at Arte) broadcast. In the election campaign, Zelenskyi received massive support from Kolomoyskyi. You should know this if you belong to the 1+1 group Unian News Agency quoted - which happens very often these days.

The FAZ apparently watched Ukraina24, the news channel of the more pro-Russian “Media Group Ukraina”, owned by oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. Akhmetov was publicly accused by Zelenskyi in late 2021 of being involved in a Russian intrigue involved be. You should also know this before you inexperiencedly take over content from Ukraina24.

Recommended Ukrainian sources

Of course, there are also serious media outlets in Ukraine. For example, it was only shortly before the war that... Kyiv Independent founded by journalists from the closed Kyiv Post. This English-language publication meets international journalistic standards.

The English-language site of the magazine and radio station NV was only launched shortly before the Russian invasion. In times of peace, NV was probably most comparable to the mirror and is therefore well suited for research.

The English-language offshoot of the reputable online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda was only activated after the outbreak of war. Ukrayisnka Pravda has made a name for itself with very good investigative reports. These are usually not available in English, so it's worth reading the Ukrainian-language version using Google Translate.

I was also told by my Ukrainian friends Babel recommended, which is also available in English. One of the co-founders is close friends with one of my friends. The site is considered one of the news portals with the highest standards.

The fact that Ukraine is a very lively democracy and that the media - unlike in Russia - is anything but aligned can also be seen in the many Watchdog publications Media detector. Even now, the portal monitors journalistic grievances in the community TV news program and exposes them ruthlessly.

German-language background information

“Understanding Ukraine" from the "Center for Liberal Modernity” publishes its own articles at irregular intervals, but also translations by Ukrainian journalists. The long articles are always of very high quality and are ideal for understanding context.

They are also highly recommended Country Analyses on Ukraine. The thematically bundled editions provide a lot of background information.