Reporters from Britain’s Sky News channel found themselves under attack near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday, with its camera operator taking two shots to his body armor as his camera continued to roll.
Video footage shows Sky News’ chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and four others in his team traveling by car around the town of Bucha, “Trusted contacts in the town told us it was quiet and promised to show us the convoy and tell us about what had happened,”Ramsay wrote the accompanying article.
The video below shows it all. The video is very graphic so be careful.
Their first journey was uneventful, with Richie Mockler as the camera operator scanning the devastated area. “The Ukrainian people are being attacked from the air, from artillery, from ground troops and takes. The debris of this war litters every street,” Ramsay’s voice narrates. “But the government has warned for days of Russian saboteurs, who’ve infiltrated the country to bring terror. Death squads, who are attacking civilians in their cars as they flee. They do exist as we found out.”
The camera leaps and rings suddenly.
“Something blew up under us,”One voice spoke inside the car. The car pulls back to the side and slows.
“Stop!”Someone screamed as the car fired rapidly. Glass broke and covered the ground.
Ramsay stated that they believed it was a Ukrainian checkpoint. They also thought they were being fired upon. So they identified themselves as journalists. They tried to get out of the vehicle after everyone was quiet for a while.
“Somehow we have to get out of this, but the rounds keep coming,”He continued. “It’s a professional ambush. The bullets just don’t miss.”
Someone inside the car screamed as a loud bang rang out. The screaming and firing continued. “I’m hit but escape the car,”Ramsey spoke in voiceover “And with producer Dominic fan hidden, we make our way down the embankment.”
Ramsey was able to escape the car faster than Mockler, whose armor had saved him from being shot at. They managed to get out of the car safely and found shelter in a warehouse. Three caretakers were waiting for them.
Martin Val, producer, devised the escape plan together with Sky staff.
“After a mammoth logistical effort, we were rescued by the local police,” Ramsay’s voiceover finished. “We were lucky. Thousands of Ukrainians are. Every day this war gets worse here.”
