Sambal and Instant Noodles to Persuade Militiamen in Ukraine
The militiaman was taken aback when we gave him bottles of sambal and packs of instant noodles, because in his own country they are expensive. We also gave him drinks and some snacks.
By
HARRY SUSILO AND KRIS MADA FROM UKRAINE
·6 minutes read
Covering the news amid the Russo-Ukraine war is of course different from working in a normal situation. While it bears the risk of being hit by a bomb or a missile, the war limits the movement of journalists to cover events or change their position from one place to another.
Journalists visiting Ukraine for news coverage are required to possess accreditation from the military and defense ministry. This accreditation serves as a kind of substitute for press cards and indicates that the military allows the journalists to enter Ukraine. It also becomes a requirement for the granting of visas.
They also need to equip themselves with bulletproof vests and helmets. Apart from security measures, the bulletproof vests and helmets confirm the identities of journalists while in the war zones.
Even if they have obtained accreditation and furnished themselves with protective equipment, journalists still cannot cover areas considered vulnerable or use any gears seen by the military as possibly having a fatal impact.
Journalists and residents are forbidden from taking photos or making videos of military facilities. According to Ukraine’s military leaders, this is for the sake of mutual security. If the enemy sees those photos or videos, it is feared that the military facilities will become targets of enemy missiles.
While it is not allowed to document military facilities, one of the most difficult permits to obtain is that for flying drones for journalistic purposes. Soldiers, militiamen and civilians are very sensitive to drones because they are often used by the enemy for reconnaissance.
We carried a DJI Mavic drone to take pictures. If we were to fly it without permission from the military or local authorities, our drone would be shot down for being seen as an enemy device.
Journalists and residents are forbidden from taking photos or making videos of military facilities.
While we were in Irpin, a small town about 40 kilometers from Kyiv, we had planned to fly the drone to document the destruction of settlements and apartments in the area. However, the apartment management and territorial security troops prohibited us from doing so. Irpin had been attacked by Russian forces in the initial period of the war.
We later moved to an extensive parking area packed with wrecked cars which were the results of Russian assaults. Again, we canceled our drone flight as it was forbidden by territorial security troops. Not long after that, two soldiers came to us.
We tried to discuss it with them. They both suggested that we not use it for fear of being regarded as a reconnaissance drone. We followed their instructions.
However, we continued the discussion while courteously persuading them to assist us. We offered chocolates and cigarettes made in Indonesia. They accepted the offer with pleasure. Then one of them asked us to leave the location to follow them.
We got into the car and immediately followed their car going to the hub of the town. Both soldiers entered the Irpin Town Hall complex and after watching us park the car, one of them went into the town hall building.
Back from the hall, he asked one of us to follow him into the building to fill out a request form for a drone flight in Irpin, including the details of the time when the drone was to be flown. After submitting the permit request, the next day we returned to Irpin to fly the drone and photograph the destruction of Irpin town.
The Key
Besides being friendly, the “key” that was needed to be prepared when discussing with Ukrainian soldiers or militiamen is an offer of typical Indonesian cigarettes as well as snacks and soft drinks.
One of the soldiers was even surprised when we gave him a bag of snacks and drinks. They said they had very rarely found journalists who brought gifts for them.
There was also a foreign militiaman from a country in West Europe whom we met in Kharkiv. We approached him for an interview. During our discussion we offered him cigarettes, soft drinks and instant noodles.
Thereafter, he related many things, including his experience in consuming Indonesian cooking in his country of origin. He said that someday he wanted to visit Indonesia and savor its cuisine.
Learning this, we gave him several more packs of instant noodles and bottles of sambal (spiced chili sauce). We had brought them from our country to anticipate any trouble in finding food in Ukraine. Like millions of other Indonesians, we find it hard to eat without sambal.
The militiaman was taken aback when we gave him bottles of sambal and packs of instant noodles, because in his own country they are expensive. We also gave him drinks and some snacks. “Are you sure it’s all right to give me all of these?” asked the militiaman.
After the gifts were received, he told various stories, from the way he had obtained his firearm and the journey from his original country to Kharkiv to his activities on the frontlines. He also said he had not taken a bath for two weeks.
Explosions
When covering the war in Ukraine, the view of ravaged buildings due to missile or artillery strikes became a daily routine, especially in Kharkiv, one of the provinces directly bordering Russia. It is around 500 km from Kyiv.
We arrived in Kharkiv in early July 2022. Unlike Kyiv, the activity in Kharkiv was halted sooner because a curfew was imposed from 6.00 p.m. until the next morning.
When we first arrived at the lodging, its employees promptly showed us a basement that could serve as a shelter during missile attacks. Finding lodging in Kharkiv was not easy. The main consideration was the presence of a building that might be a location for troops or military objects.
From the place we stayed, the nearest missile target was less than 1 km away, which was the office owned by the regional drinking water company (PDAM) of Kharkiv.
The sounds of explosions, like truck tire blasts, strongly resonated close by. They made the ears ring, making us seemingly deaf for a moment. The window of the lodging, which was between the walls of the lodging, shook. The explosions were heard for days, but we were shocked everytime we heard the sounds.
A week in Kharkiv, we witnessed schools, campuses, the PDAM office and government offices become targets of bombings. A number of buildings hit by explosions were believed to be close to military objects. Many civilians fell victim to the strikes.
The sounds of explosions continued while we interviewed militiamen and Ukrainian troops. The intervals of the explosions were increasingly shorter. This was not surprising as our interviews were conducted near the frontlines.
One soldier we interviewed responded so openly, because he knew we had gone through the process of examination by the Ukrainian military communications office that confirmed we would not supply information to the enemy side.