My name is Hanna Bokova, I am the editor-in-chief of the civic media portal “Bakhmut IN.UA”, married with three children. Before the full-scale invasion I lived in Donetsk region. I was born in Kostiantynivka, studied in Kramatorsk, and after graduating from the Academy of Mechanical Engineering came to work with her husband at the Artemivsk Non-Ferrous Metals Plant (now the plant is named after the city Bakhmut). I am a mechanical engineer by education, since childhood I dreamed of a career as a TV presenter. This dream was slightly transformed. After the birth of my second child, I began to write for the local newspaper, then worked for three years at the first news site in the city. With the beginning of the war, I lost my job, and together with volunteers we organized the Public Media Portal “Bakhmut IN.UA” in 2015. For the last four years I have been practicing yoga, became a vegetarian and in addition to physical condition I take care of spiritual development.
Yes, of course, if we are talking about the war today, Bakhmut immediately comes to mind as a city that has been resisting the Russian aggressor for a very long time, not allowing it to capture itself and advance further. There are very heavy battles there, and in the minds of many people the city has such a symbol of fortress of invincibility around it, like Mariupol, Azovstal. It’s been called “the invincibility center of Ukraine”. Can you please describe what is happening now in the city from your sources?
I left Bakhmut on February 25. Since then, I have been following the events in the city from official sources, reports of local bloggers, stories of friends and speakers of our materials. Now the city exists in several dimensions because of how people perceive it. For the military, it is important to preserve Ukrainian Bakhmut – it is a strategic goal, and they are working hard to achieve it. They see the city as a real fortress. You can see that Ukrainians have created a fortress out of Bakhmut not only physically but also symbolically. When I look at photos and videos, I can not always remember the area at first glance. In the center, near our office, they dig trenches, there are barriers, the occupiers destroy buildings every day.
For our enemy, Bakhmut is a political target, judging by the attention they pay to Bakhmut in their propaganda, in addition to military efforts. If earlier it was mostly blog posts, now the stories are broadcast on the central channels. People who stay there and those who will gladly meet the occupiers, as well as those who believe in the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, perceive Bakhmut as their greatest support and resistance, a city that should save them and let them live on.
We left there and now we perceive Bakhmut differently. Some have lost hope of returning and admitted that they have found a new home, and Bakhmut has become the past, because they do not see a future there, although people continue to follow the events. Some people perceive the city as a continuous pain from the human losses we suffer on the battlefield and among civilians. There is also a volunteer dimension – these are the people who have seen the living conditions of Bakhmut residents, who sit in basements every day, who have seen the eyes of children who stayed there. This is the most difficult position, in my opinion, because you see everything, but you can do nothing. This is not your child, you cannot take it out and give it life.
What is the strategic importance of Bakhmut today, why is the struggle of our military for the city so important? How do you assess the prospect of recapturing Bakhmut and our further advance in the east?
To be honest, I did not think that the city would last so long. Svitlodarsk was occupied in spring. In summer, the occupants entered our rural communities of Klynove, Pokrovske, then Zaitseve, but the real confrontation began for Ivangrad and Opytne. And there are still battles on these positions. There are various military experts who explain why it is important to hold Bakhmut, in particular, it opens logistical routes for the transfer of Russian resources, opens the possibility of further offensive on other cities of Donetsk region. Even without any special expertise, we understand that to lose the territory and advantageous positions is to throw ourselves away from victory for months. Because we need to build everything new. Perhaps the Ukrainian defense forces also hold this territory exhausting the enemy, such thoughts were also expressed.
At the level of symbolism, Bakhmut is a city that was founded by the Cossacks to mine salt here and earn money by defending what they got, then they made a fortress, then the first Ukrainian flag was raised here during the Ukrainian People’s Republic in Donetsk region. Therefore, mentally this city is very important as a marking of the Ukrainian identity of Donetsk region.
I assume all scenarios: yes, the city can be occupied. I understand that at some point it may be more profitable to withdraw the defense forces to save the lives of our defenders, or to strike at other positions, but to win strategically. In general, this is not a war for Bakhmut, this is a war for Ukraine.
Does Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Bakhmut mean to you that things are already improving and that the de-occupation of not only the city but also the Donetsk region itself is possible soon? Or was it just a symbolic sign of support, raising the spirits, perhaps, of the soldiers, expressing gratitude?
I consider this visit not as a separate event, but as a part of the President’s strategy for our victory. I expected him to come. It seemed to me a logical continuation after the attention that the city has recently captured around the world. First, he (President Zelenskyy – ed.) began to talk about Bakhmut more often, then there was merchandise about the fortress and the invincibility of Bakhmut, then his speech in Congress, where he used Bakhmut as a symbol of our great will to win, our ability to resist even where it seems impossible. I am very glad that the President’s team sees a few steps ahead and successfully builds information policy.
I understand that for the military, who saw him there in the U.S. Congress, this is the ultimate proof that their work is important, that they have a brave and strong-minded person behind them, and they must continue. Ukrainians also appreciated this step, the whole world appreciated it, even Putin’s liars had to invent something about Zelenskyy’s trip to the war zone. It looked very pathetic. In general, I believe that if Zelensky had not started recording his addresses in the first days of the war, Ukrainians would not have responded to the enemy so confidently. It is important to understand that you will not be betrayed at the highest level. Although territories and people were lost and not everything has been returned yet, but such appeals definitely added confidence.
Can you remember where you were, what you were doing on February 24, 2022, how did you perceive the events then? Shock, despair, what were your emotions then?
Children and work. We had to have a big event on February 25 in Bakhmut. Our NGO “Bakhmut Fortress” together with partners had been preparing for it for a long time. We had to cancel everything, pay for services. We understood that it was important for businesses and everyone involved. We did not know whether the banking system would work, whether there would be Internet, communication. Therefore, there was no time to think, we had to decide and act. We also had to save children. When your son asks you: “Are we all going to die soon, are we going to be killed?”, it is very mobilizing. I remember crying all the time and thinking that many people would die, that death would come to us for a long time. Sometimes I was angry that it was the Ukrainians who were suffering, there was such hopelessness. It was hard to make a decision and leave everything, to go into the unknown. It was clear: if the occupiers came to Bakhmut, we would be among the first to be destroyed.
Friends and strangers helped me to leave. I was crying all the time. At first I was afraid, hiding so that the children did not see, then I just opened the tape and could not stop the tears. My family did not even accept it anymore. “What is mom doing?” – “She’s crying again,” they would say in response.
I can imagine that even before February 24 you wrote and spoke a lot about the war, Donbas has been a hot spot since 2014, but how has your professional activity changed as a result of this full-scale invasion? How has this war affected what you do today?
We write a lot about volunteers, every day about the operational situation in the Bakhmut direction. We have a good team, which we have expanded over the past six months. The website “Bakhmut IN. UA” and our social networks are developing rapidly, we have opened a channel in Telegram – “Bakhmut lives here”. We understand that our audience, the residents of Bakhmut, who used to live with the same problems, holidays, worked at the same enterprises, have now moved all over the world. The needs of those who stayed and those who left are radically different, and in order to keep the audience, we need to try to satisfy both.
We try to support the people of Bakhmut morally. For example, we launched the project “We won before – we will win now!” In it we tell about the historical victories of Ukrainians. Materials are prepared by our historian-blogger, and illustrations are created by a local artist. We write about Bakhmut residents who went to defend Ukraine, about those who stay in the city to help people and animals, create video stories about Bakhmut residents in evacuation. We are creating a diary of the war in Bakhmut in a sense. The whole team, except me, is in Ukraine and works in conditions of frequent blackouts, constant air raids and danger. It has become difficult to get information from official sources, it was not an easy task even before the full-scale war. And now it has become even more difficult.
Is there a certain passivity in the actions of Western leaders, in your opinion, especially with regard to the supply of necessary weapons? Are other countries doing enough, when cities like Bakhmut have been mercilessly shelled for a very long time, and our military, although they receive some weapons, but this is obviously not enough now to drive the enemy away and stop the deaths of our people? Of course, we are talking not only about Bakhmut, but about the entire front.
The EU countries, the USA have their own development strategy, their own vision of the future, and this war has hit the economy quite painfully and requires a lot of resources. From the point of view of a cosmopolitan view of the world, in which we are all connected and have to support each other, of course, the inertia of the leaders, on whom the future of Ukrainians depends, outrages me and does not fit in my head at all. Silent contemplation of Russia’s violations of our territorial integrity in 2014 led to tragic events in 2022. There was no adequate response, Russia decided that they could do anything. I think the West realized that it is impossible to turn a blind eye any longer.
On the other hand, to blame other countries for not helping us… This is when Russian companies have been working in Ukraine for so many years for the sake of economic interests of individuals, pro-Russian parties have been working… We did not cut off all ties ourselves. Now we have given a clear signal that we will not make any more concessions, there will be no agreements until the occupiers leave Ukraine. We have severed all ties with Russians not only at the state level, people do not want to speak Russian, watch Russian films, we are separating in the cultural dimension. The world sees it.
We also need to understand the bureaucracy in the decision-making of Western institutions. Each country first of all thinks about its interests, and then about ours. In this regard, I am quite realistic about their role. It is not enough for us what we get, because we lose people, taking into account the dead and tortured in the occupied territories, I think tens, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians died in Ukraine. For us, these are concrete people – relatives, friends, neighbors, and for them – it is just sad statistics. For many, but not all. In Europe, for example, in Romania, we met many local volunteers who partially or fully devoted their time to help Ukrainian refugees. We are now living in West Germany, where we also meet support among the local population. The democratic community of the world is on the side of Ukrainians, their support encourages Western leaders to act. I would like it to be more powerful, but I think we have already accelerated this flywheel.
Do you think that the world should do more, not only militarily, but also politically, economically, so that Ukraine really wins this war as soon as possible? A striking example of such injustice today is the fact that Russians continue to enjoy life, have all the benefits of civilization, while we live without electricity, water, communication most of the time, and lose our relatives and friends. Why so? This opinion is very popular in social networks, it is interesting to hear what you have to say about it.
I do not think that nothing has changed for Russians. I think this war has hit them as well, just depending on the level of intellectual development they perceive it differently. People who have not personally achieved anything, who have no plans for their future, who want to feel involved in something great, are too morally interested in this war. Putin and Russian propaganda offer them this – to be heroes. They feel like the inhabitants of the best country, the strongest, the country that always wins, which once defeated the Nazis and will win now. Russian business is definitely losing money, and this cannot but affect the state of the economy, and ultimately it impoverishes the population. The process may not be so obvious, but people understand, they see that the collapse has already begun. In addition, mobilization forced thousands of people to leave, some have already lost loved ones. Unfortunately, not all of them understand the reason. I am not in favor of us acting the same way as the Russians. Destroying military infrastructure, logistics routes is a necessity, but making the life of Russians unbearable, destroying power plants or boiler houses, I think, is not our way. Then we will also be terrorists.
What is your most memorable moment during the entire period of the war, during these ten months?
The first days after the full-scale invasion were very emotional. I remember the confused eyes of people who were in great fear. Because of this fear of the future, fear for their loved ones, people were buying food and medicines. There were queues in pharmacies, at ATMs. It was scary to stay in Bakhmut, and it was scary to leave. We were on the road from Bakhmut to Chernivtsi for several days, we were greatly helped by the support of people we did not know, who coordinated our trip, let us spend the night. It was such an incredible support and trust.
The humanitarian and economic catastrophe caused by the Russian aggression, the influx of refugees, the gradual destruction of infrastructure, the fall of GDP by about 50 percent, all this will be with us and will affect our lives for a very long time, yes, even after the war is over. There will be a very long process of reconstruction. What should each of us, who is not at the front, do to somehow bring the day of victory and the beginning of this reconstruction closer? In your opinion, what is the duty of a conscious Ukrainian today?
To work, if possible, to support the family and pay taxes. Volunteers – to help with donations. Restore business, if possible, to create jobs in Ukraine. Study experience while in other countries to be able to return and implement best practices. Although, having gone abroad, many Ukrainians realized that in fact, everything is not so bad in our country, we have our strengths, which we appreciated – affordable and high-quality Internet, documents in a smartphone, availability of basic medical services. It is important to give up corruption. If every worker in his place – official, businessman, accountant – refuses to participate in corruption schemes, we will be able to change the system. Because the system is us. When we are trying to convince the world that not only Putin and his team are criminals in Russia, but all those who actively or silently support the war, we must also understand that all those who participate in paying taxes are basically too responsible for corruption, which hinders the development of Ukraine.
Regarding the restoration of Ukraine and Bakhmut… While it is hard for me to imagine, I think many people simply will not return to their cities. In addition, it is very difficult to assess what we will rebuild first of all when the war is over.
What do you consider your personal mission during the war as a Ukrainian woman, as a journalist who works directly with the tragic realities of today, with the war? What would you like to achieve most from yourself during this period?
Since 2015, we have been creating the image of Ukrainian Bakhmut – we wrote about the active Ukrainian community, were the first to write in Ukrainian, conducted investigations, monitored the activities of the local council, held offline events to activate youth leaders and had some success. It seemed to us that in this way, by developing society, we would stop the war. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it seemed that everything was in vain.
Now I see my mission in continuing to work, providing verified information, refuting the fakes of the occupiers, documenting the heroism of Ukrainians and telling about the crimes of Russians. To find resources to support the team, to meet the interests of the audience, to be useful. To support my family – to help my children grow, develop, and maintain their physical and mental health despite the war. To be an ambassador of Ukraine in Europe – to convey the truth about the events in Ukraine, to express gratitude for the help, to participate in various activities and organize events.
Our audience includes many students from different parts of Ukraine, including those who are currently studying at the Faculty of Journalism. As an experienced journalist who works with such difficult topics of war, what advice can you give to our young people who are just starting their way and also want to cover the war?
I think that in this war my previous experience hardly meant much. Because this is a completely different reality, problems, challenges. Earlier, when I sent a person to report in Bakhmut, I did not think that they might not return, that they could be killed not only by Russian shells, but also by the local population, which is now quite hostile to journalists. The occupiers spread information through propaganda channels and through their people in Bakhmut that after the arrival of journalists, shelling begins. In fact, this is a mirror image of how the media operate in Russia.
I love my profession very much and I believe that my main task is a social mediation to highlight the reality between more and less active members of society. My task is to adhere to standards, to be able to see trends, to analyze information.
With the New Year holidays approaching, yes, we all make some wishes, it is a good time to remember the achievements of the past year and set goals for the next one. What are your plans, ambitions for the new year 2023?
I have personal and professional goals. A whole team is working on the development of our media, we have a strategy, and we will strive to implement it. We want to increase the amount of video content, open an English-language Twitter channel, increase the audience in Telegram and Instagram, and switch to a new platform. Ensure stable funding for the team’s work. As for personal goals: I would like to start understanding and speaking German. Start learning English.
Translator: Ivan Chepaykin
