The Ukraine-Russia war has not only involved bullets, rockets and missiles. There is also an overwhelming amount of information coming from sources directly and indirectly involved in the war.
By
HARRY SUSILO, KRIS MADA
·5 minutes read
AFP/DANIEL LEAL
People, some carrying bags and suitcases, walk at a metro station in Kyiv early on February 24, 2022. - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a "full-scale invasion" was underway.
Sunny weather greeted us at Chopin Airport, Warsaw, Poland on Monday (6/6/2022) at around 2:20 p.m. local time or 7:20 p.m. WIB. With a stopover at Doha, Qatar, the flight from Jakarta to Warsaw took about 18 hours. To reach Ukraine, a country that has been ravaged by war for the last four months following Russia’s invasion on 24 February, arriving at Warsaw felt like only half the journey.
Poland serves as the second stopover as well as the pathway to Ukraine as the two countries share a border. Since the war broke out, Poland has been swamped by more than 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine. Some of them were reported to have returned to Ukraine.
After nearly four months, there are still no signs of the Ukraine-Russian war ending. The war has forced nearly 14 million Ukrainians to flee their homes and left nearly 16 million others in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Additionally, thousands of Ukrainians were injured and killed in the war. All parties must cooperate to stop the biggest war in Europe of the 21st century.
The Ukraine-Russia war has not only involved bullets, rockets and missiles. There is also an overwhelming amount of information coming from sources directly and indirectly involved in the war. The need to present facts is the reason that Kompas sent two journalists to Ukraine on Monday (6/6/2022).
Extensive preparations
Preparations for this news coverage have been going on since April 2022, beginning with the decision of who will go. Each report stipulates certain requirements.
In news coverage of wars, these requirements include, among others, the reporting journalists’ understanding of survival in extreme conditions, international humanitarian law and the ability to identify potential dangers amid conflict.
AFP/SERGEY BOBOK
People take part in the combat training course at the recruiting center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv on April 14, 2022, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Once the coverage is decided, documents related to the departure then need to be managed. This includes medical insurance, visas and various documents from Kompas related to the report.
It is also important to communicate with officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indonesian Military (TNI). In addition to the ministry’s director for Indonesian citizens’ protection, the Indonesian embassies in Ukraine and Poland were also contacted. The TNI were contacted as a precautionary measure in the case of an emergency. Both the Foreign Affairs Ministry and TNI played crucial roles in the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from various countries.
Because there was no mode of transport from Indonesia to Ukraine, it was decided that we would enter Ukraine through Poland. Thus, it was necessary to apply for Ukrainian and Polish visas.
The embassies of the two countries in Jakarta were very proactive in assisting the visa application process. Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia Vasyl Hamianin said that he was ready to help if anything hampered the process.
Military accreditation
Hamianin assigned several Ukrainian diplomats to take care of the visas. To get a Ukrainian visa, we must first obtain accreditation from the Ukrainian military. It took more than three weeks of back-and-forth communication between the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv and the Ukrainian Embassy in Jakarta until the accreditation was finally issued.
With assistance from diplomats at the Ukrainian Embassy, health insurance specifically for Ukraine was found. Life insurance was eventually obtained from a consortium of international journalists.
Once the accreditation was issued, the next task was to find medical insurance. The war has made it difficult to find insurance as several firms refused to provide coverage in Ukraine. With assistance from diplomats at the Ukrainian Embassy, health insurance specifically for Ukraine was found. Life insurance was eventually obtained from a consortium of international journalists.
AFP/JACK GUEZ
Demonstators hold up a sign showing the Ukrainian flag with text reading in Russian "Putin leave Ukraine" while depicting the Russian president's face as Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler during a protest against Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in front of the Russian embassy in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, on February 26, 2022. - In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, defying Western outrage and global appeals not to launch a war.
Ukraine has been designated as a highly dangerous zone and thus requires premium insurance coverage for 5 weeks. Supported by military accreditation and medical insurance, a Ukraine visa was granted in just three working days from the time the documents were submitted. The completed documents were submitted on 19 May and the visa was issued on the morning of 23 May.
While waiting for the Ukraine visa to be processed, the search for medical insurance for Poland and Schengen countries continued. Like Ukraine, Poland requires insurance with a minimum coverage equivalent to EUR 30,000 (Rp 464 million). The insurance for a Polish visa was relatively easier to find.
The Polish visa was also issued in just three working days. First submitted on 24 May, passports granted a Schengen visa were then collected on 30 May. The public holiday on 26 May reduced the number of working days in the last week of May.
Even the Polish Embassy in Jakarta stated that it could take up to 15 working days without a guarantee that it will be granted.
The issuance of these visas was fairly quick compared to visa applications for other purposes. Even the Polish Embassy in Jakarta stated that it could take up to 15 working days without a guarantee that it will be granted.
One factor that sped up the Polish visa process was the reason for the application. In the document, it clearly states that travel to Poland serves as a stopover to enter Ukraine for news coverage. Before the documents were submitted, there had already been talks with the Polish Embassy.
Equipment
Other than managing the documents for departure, it was also important to prepare appropriate equipment and necessities. Kompas provided bulletproof vests, bulletproof helmets, satellite phones, satellite modems, gas masks and protective clothing made from chemical and biological materials.
When we were sent off at the office in Palmerah, Jakarta on Friday (3/6), Kompas chief Lilik Oetama tested the weight of the bulletproof vests.
He also reminded us of the importance of taking care of our physical condition and staying in shape, considering that Ukraine’s territory is risky in times of war.
AFP/SERGEY BOBOK
A Ukrainian frontier guard checks documents of people crossing the check point at Ukrainian-Russian border, some 40 km from the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, on February 16, 2022.
Thus, we did not forget to bring instant foods as well as cooking utensils and sleeping gear to anticipate the worst-case scenario during war. If we end up not having any lodgings, at least we came prepared for it. Communication strategies, including Plan B for sending news coverage, were also prepared in the case of an emergency in the field.
