Georgia’s “Rustavi 2” TV journalist, Davit Kakulia, covered the events in Ukraine from the site. He was in the Crimea and Donetsk, and, naturally, in Kiev. During Yanukovych tenure, he was declared “persona non grata” and his visit to Ukraine was banned. But after Yanukovich leaving his office, he continued his journalistic activities.
At the recent symposium of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian journalists held in Tbilisi, when presenting his experience, David Kakulia started from the main topic. “I am just asking you not to forget taking these items with you,” showing the vest with a sign “press”, protection vest, helmet and respirator, said David Kakulia.
Read also
He noticed that these items have saved his live many times, though there was also a period when Yanukovich’s supporters were taking the aim at those wearing the yellow vest with a sign “press”. “I went to Ukraine in early November, when everything was just beginning… People were just seeing their way to Europe, they wanted to go in that direction. It all started with that.”
D. Kakulia told about the visits to KGB in Kiev when they were tried to “drive away” from Ukrainian capital, he recalled how “Reuters” journalists released them from the Russian soldiers in the Crimea, but the worst was in Donetsk. “This is a completely different state of affairs. When I was in Donetsk, it seemed to me that I am in Bishkek. During the events in Bishkek, I was in that city and was covering the civil war in Kirghizia, when 147 people were killed. And I felt exactly the same in Donetsk. Unidentified people, unidentified armed groups, when you do not know who is who, what he is doing and why…”
D. Kakulia told that they are caught, beaten and even tried to be killed by the gun. “I was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kirgizstan… but nowhere was such a complex situation as now in Ukraine. Because it does not clear who is who, just armed people, fighters…”
And the last advice that “Rustavi 2” correspondent gave to the journalists for such extreme situations was as follows, “have a thousand, two thousand contacts, you’ll never know who will help you and where the salvation will come from.”
Melania BARSEGHYAN
