Before 24 February 2022, I was an entertainment journalist. 

For 17 years, I’d interviewed the likes of Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Rihanna. I had various television shows about music, and my own evening radio show. 

For several hours each day I’d communicate with my listeners, telling them about current events and the news. 

I also lectured in journalism and even had a book published, The Story of an (Un)famous Journalist. 

On the whole, life was good. I was dreaming of a holiday, and trying to work out how I could afford to take the time off work for a much-needed break.

Then Russia invaded my home country of Ukraine and my life, along with all other Ukrainians’, changed completely. 

My biggest fear of losing my job was quickly realised as my television and radio shows stopped filming immediately. 

Now, I have the holiday I wanted but in the most terrible of circumstances. I have no idea if I will be able to get back to doing the career I loved. After all, after everything the Ukrainian people have been through, will they want shows on music, gossip and entertainment after the war? 

At the university where I work, lessons resumed – but only online. It cannot be compared with real, daily meetings and communication. It’s so hard when, in the middle of a lesson, a Serena (red alert) and the threat of a missile strike goes off. 

At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I desperately wondered how I could be useful. It seemed I had two options: the first was to go to war and defend Ukraine with arms in hand. 

The second was to put my journalism skills into the international arena, and convey information about what was happening in the Ukraine to the rest of the world.

I chose the second option. That’s how I became a military journalist. 

The things I saw were terrifying, and it is now my duty to report and share them – even though they make for hard reading.

I witnessed atrocities in Irpin and Bucha. I saw with my own eyes how exactly people were killed. They were set on fire, tied up, shot in the head at point-blank range, their nails were cut off right from the fingers.

As a journalist, I never thought that I would have to face such brutality and horror – the complete opposite of interviewing celebrities and discussing music. 

Russia-Ukraine war: Everything you need to know

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the country has suffered widespread damages and loss of life amid a major bombing campaign.

Millions of people have fled the country, with thousands of British people opening up their homes to Ukrainian refugees.

During the course of the war, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained in Kyiv, despite the Ukrainian capital being subjected to a barrage of bombing.

Zelensky has continuously pushed for aid and support from world leaders, as well as pressing for fast-tracked NATO membership.

Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has been widely condemned for his attack on Ukraine.

His actions have been met by harsh economic sanctions, bans from competing in major sporting events, and countries moving away from using Russian oil.

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One time, I heard from a mother who had been tied to a chair, as her 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son were raped in front of her eyes. Russian soldiers told her, ‘This is for you because you do not like Russians.’

Not long after, a good friend got in touch with me about the Torrents of Truth. They are a cyber action group that aims to counter misinformation and brainwashing in Russia.

For example, if someone based in Russia wanted to pirate a movie online, instead of downloading the film they wanted, they might actually download a video of a Ukrainian explaining what is actually happening in their country.  

My friend said to me: ‘They need someone who can report on the real atrocities of Russia in Ukraine. I see you in this project. I gave your contacts to the organisers.’ 

On the same day, the organisers wrote to me and explained the essence of Torrents of Truth.

Initiated by Guillaume Roukhomovsky, the French creative director of an American/Dutch creative agency and Olga Kokoshko, managing partner at a marketing company, Torrents of Truth embeds messages about the war in pirated blockbuster films that are popular in Russia. 

Levels of piracy were already high in Russia before the war, and had grown even higher after encouragement by the Kremlin to pirate products and services of Western companies who were supporting anti-Russian sanctions during the invasion.

But when they begin to play it, the viewer is given a message: ‘This isn’t what you expected to see. But it is something you should see. The truth.’

Ukrainian journalists then give the cold hard facts about the war, interspersed with footage of the war. 

I decided to get involved immediately.

Having lived and worked in Russia between 2010 and 2013, I knew all too well of the terrible Soviet propaganda machine, and how it deceives the Russian people – telling them half-truths, sometimes outright lies, and ignoring facts. 

Therefore, I made a 10-minute video myself for Torrents of Truth. It was extremely emotional, recounting the horrendous things I’d seen. 

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‘But all of this can be stopped if you speak the truth, if you don’t remain silent,’ I said at the end. ‘If you send this video and other videos related to the war to other people.’

Several friends living in Russia wrote to me to say they’d watched it, and didn’t believe it could be true. It didn’t surprise me. 

For many Russians, what is happening in Ukraine is closed and inaccessible content. Many acquaintances of mine don’t even know what is happening, and just how many lives are being devastated and destroyed. 

It’s terrible that people are being denied the truth and taken for fools in 2022. Technology, the internet, accessibility to the world – all of this exists, and must be used to stand up to the propaganda machine. Torrents of Truth’s videos are our way to address this and incite change.

Today, I’m in touch with journalists from all over the world. I continue to inform them about the war, Russian aggression and the lives of Ukrainians in these conditions. The truth.

I have interviews every day. I am doing what helps bring us closer to victory. I make up to 120 direct broadcasts per day, starting from American TV channels and ending with Australia. 

I have to be honest though – it takes its toll. It’s emotionally exhausting to talk so much about the war, and I have no way to switch off. 

But there is no escape from the war. This is happening right now, and I am determined to spread the truth to every corner of the Earth about what is happening to my people right now.

I am optimistic that Torrents of Truth will help. We need to show everyone the full, unfiltered facts.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

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