“I don’t understand how it happened. We left the car on the ramp leading up to the bridge. I have a blue jacket with very thick inscriptions on me and the two Ukrainian soldiers who told us to leave understood that we were leaving. Journalists. But the Russians are shooting at everything, they are shooting at doctors and now they are shooting at the press. Missing.” or I lost the number of dead journalists and photographers.” Repubblica reporter Radio Capital Corrado Zunino, who was injured yesterday in Kherson (Ukraine), describes the attack in which his collaborator Bogdan Bitik died in the ‘Breakfast club’ program
“We have never exposed ourselves to unnecessary risks,” explains Zunino. There was no atmosphere of war, there was silence on that bridge. Now I am in a military hospital in the south of the country, I have 4 minor wounds. My return journey to Italy could begin in a few hours”.
“I’m fine – the journalist continues – but I’m sorry to lose a friend. I’ve done 5 assignments with my colleague Bogdan Bitik, I’ve known him since I first came to Ukraine. He had just returned to Ukraine from Indonesia with a wife and a son, just now. I spoke to his wife. They are all extraordinary, kind and generous people”.
“It was Bogdan who was driving while we were outside, speaking Ukrainian at the checkpoints, helping me translate the interviews – says Zunino. Yesterday we were next door at the Kherson bridge in Ukrainian hands. They offered to shoot a video. At the beginning of the bridge, two Ukrainian soldiers told us to go and we left immediately. Between them.” They kept saying, “Press, press”, they identified us as journalists. 6 seconds later I felt my shoulder side, I only heard a whistle, the same bullet that grazed my shoulder hit Bogdan, he was only a meter away from me, Bogdan fell to the ground without groaning, to see if he was following me ‘
What do we know about the death of Bohdan Bitik and the injury of Corrado Zunino on the Antonivsky bridge in Kherson? @RaiNews pic.twitter.com/yxLQT4llcM
— Ilario Piagnerelli (@ilario82) April 26, 2023
🧵 1-I think some thought should be given to the last blood incident involving an Italian journalist. there are some things to explain: 1) Kherson is considered yellow zone, so only press card is not needed, a) a form has to be filled –
— Christian Tinazzi (@tincazzi) April 26, 2023
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
