September 21, 2022 “Those of us who are still there know that Ukrainian shells may fall at any place at any time.

September 21, 2022

"Those of us who are still there know that Ukrainian shells may fall at any place at any time. This is a retaliatory attack: they punish ordinary people simply because these people live here," Alejandro Kirk, a full-time reporter working at TeleSUR and HispanTV TV station injured during Ukrainian attacks Donbas , said in an interview with Satellite News Agency.

"On Saturday, September 17, around noon, we heard an explosion in the city center. Like in many other cases, we ran to shoot with other colleagues. When we arrived at the city center square, Lenin Square, another explosion occurred not far away, and a tented truck caught fire," Kirk introduced what happened. "I walked towards the tented truck to capture a more accurate, more informative picture. There were two people in the car. From experience, I don't think there was another shell that would land in the same place, but I made a mistake," he added.

"I heard the whistling of the distinctive 155mm shells and the explosion a few meters away from the north. On the Artem Street, where, where the bus was driving, I turned the camera and saw the detonation. I immediately felt that there was a blow on my right arm. There was no noise or pain. The right eye was also hit, and everything around began to float." Kirk recalled.

"I continued shooting, called my colleagues, and we found that the wound was bleeding a lot. The eyes were bleeding too. I took off my sunglasses and found a fragment piercing the lens. It was probably the sunglasses that prevented the fragments from entering the eyes," Kirk introduced.

- How do you evaluate medical support in Donbas? Have you had the surgery? How are you in and what are your predictions about your recovery?

—In my personal case, medical assistance is exemplary. My colleagues transported me to the National Hospital and my wound was cleaned in a few minutes and I was examined. Then an X-ray was taken. I was taken to the hospital for observation on the weekend, and I was in the outpatient treatment together from week to week, and I was observed daily. After the wound heals, it will be decided when to remove the debris.

No one ever asked me for a certificate, nor did anyone ask me for money. For me, this is a stark example of who you are and how much money you have in the public health field. The first place here is human nature, not business, which, in my opinion, is one of the most important legacies of the Soviet system, which still exists in this republic and flourishes. By the way, the hospital where I was observing me was also bombarded several times. I reported on a shelling myself, and I reported from the door of a delivery room from the place where the Ukrainian missile broke through.

—How do you think about what you see and hear?

- The shelling was so powerful that it created a small hole about an inch in diameter on my shoulder. The shelling injured my ribs and I broke my bones. The shelling occurs 15 cm from the face and neck and 25 cm from the heart. The ribs save the lungs, while the sunglasses save the eyes. This is a great victory, isn't it?

So I couldn't help thinking that this kind of thing could happen easily, and in fact, in Donetsk it happens to many people every day: but they are unlucky and the fragments kill them. These are people shopping with bags, little girls who just finished their dance class, chefs who cook lunch for people, or for example, girls who seem to stop because they forget something, or just some woman who comes home from get off work.

This is the people I have seen or written about. That's why I always think of these people, they just easily become enemies without punishment. I think this is done to sow horror, forcing people to leave their homes, and making everyone feel a constant threat. Everyone in this city knows that if he takes the streets, there is a possibility that he cannot come back. That's why when you ask them, almost everyone calls for more active action in military operations.

- What is the current situation in Donetsk?

– Unfortunately, the residents of Donetsk live in fear. Many left, and those of us who remained here knew that Ukrainian shells could land at any time. It's punitive attacks: they punish ordinary people simply because they live here. It seems that the defense system is unable to detect and prevent such terrorist actions. We know that this is a mobile long-range gun system and is very difficult to detect. This is why many people demand more resolute actions, not against the army and weapons, but against those who command such barbaric actions in Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine.

—How long have you been in Donetsk? What else have you seen?

- I came to Donbas in March last year. I have visited two republics that declared independence on their own, as well as southern Ukrainian liberated areas such as Khlsong and Zaporoze . I am an eyewitness to the Mariupol struggle and the current recovery process. In Luhansk - I witnessed the liberation of Lissichonsk and the tragedy of cities such as Donetsk, and Popasna. I'm helping in an humanitarian aid project called "Bukhanka". The project was named in honor of the van-carrying truck nicknamed "Bun" produced by the Russian Ulyanov Automobile Manufacturing Plant (UAZ), which transports food and water to the recently liberated village that has not yet arrived. Most of the time we are unaccompanied and there is no army present. This independent project, driven by journalist Nikita Tretyakov, allowed me to talk to dozens of ordinary people who told us their own stories, and the story was always the same: the indifference of the Ukrainian authorities, in stark contrast to the human nature of Russian soldiers or Donbasian militias, who often share their rations with them. Of course, not all are completely consistent, but it is worth noting that those who have lived in the basement for months under the most difficult conditions, except for one, have never told me that they are more inclined to the return of Ukrainian troops or extreme nationalist battalions.

- Do you plan to continue working in Donetsk after your injury?

– My editors are evaluating the situation now, but I have the greatest degree of firmness and willingness to stay. Finally, I also threw my blood on this land.

- Can you introduce the Gubishev attack not long ago. In your opinion, what is the Kyiv authorities pursuing?

—Nine 155mm shells fell on Gubishev, one of which hit nine people at noon.

Ukrainian TV channel praises this and cites this situation as an efficient example. The shells aimed at streets, not buildings, and places where human density was estimated to be higher. I saw two schools in Donetsk being attacked at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 20, when parents and teachers gathered. On Friday evening of September 16, an attack occurred on Pushkin's boulevard, where several restaurants were found. At noon, there was also an attack on the same road, and families were walking here. The Gubishev, Kiev, Petrov and Lenin districts in Donetsk are attacked day and night. All of this could not have been the idea of ​​a creative artillery commander, undoubtedly, it was a political decision at the highest level.