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| Citizen journalist Wang Zhi'an reports from Kiev |
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| Inside the Ukraine Embassy |
He flies from Tokyo to Istanbul and then on to Moldova, which he explains is one of the two land borders permitting entry into Ukraine, Poland being the other.
He sets up a makeshift studio during the long dark night in Kiev and introduces his reason for breaking with CCTV and going it alone.
"We're just a group of five but we want to know the truth of the war between Russia and Ukraine."
He says they will call on some of the many Chinese who fled Ukraine and returned and some of those who never left to get a view not available in either China or the Western media. He arranges to hire a car and driver and gets press passes and stickers for his car and crew.
In his introductory broadcast, available on YouTube, he said he got tired of hearing people in China say it's impossible to determine truth from fact between Russia and Ukraine. He says China’s state media has zero people in Ukraine and it is censored, so the editorial standpoint is distorted. “Chinese media have plenty of money but they are basically just repeating Russian coverage.”
What you see in China's state media "is all second-hand reports and shows no balance. It's from perspective of the perpetrator."
He brings a startling frankness to his report by stating plain truths never once heard on state-controlled CCTV:
"Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine is the victim, Russia is victimizer."
His second report shows the journey from Kiev to Sumy. Still jet-lagged he falls asleep on the slow drive to Sumy. There are numerous roadblocks and security checks along the way. It's not the scene of fighting at the moment, but the region was badly damaged in Russia's February invasion.
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| Entering Sumy Oblast in northeast Ukraine |
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| Months after Moscow's takeover attempt, the ground remains littered with displaced objects |
Going to Sumy gives a crew unfamiliar with Ukraine a chance to get a feel for what it's like outside Kiev and to talk to people. He's not reporting on a battle, although it's not without danger and fairly close to the Russian border. Even after the battling in Sumy has subsided, there is evidence of destruction, bomb craters, here, crushed automobiles, abandoned stuffed animals and toys.
In trying to get a better idea what local people think about the war, he walks around town seeking interviews, and while he is out and about he was sought out by a woman who saw the camera and foreign reporter. She told him about the bombardment and the fear she had for her children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.
Through an interpreter who speaks Chinese and Ukrainian, Wang, who has no background or training in the language and culture of the region, converses with this woman. She tells him she is still traumatized by the attempted takeover by Russian forces. It's an off-the-cuff conversation with an unexpected punch at the end.
“Can I say this?” she asks. “I need to say this…I hope Putin dies soon.”
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He arranges a sit-down interview to talk to a member of the Ukrainian resistance. He asks about why they fight and why they fight against such great odds.
The interview subject, a muscular man in a T shirt who describes himself as a former commander, tells the wide-eyed interviewer about the spirit of resistance against great odds.
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“Some people even try to block tanks with their bare hands, simply standing in front of them as they try to pass through.”
The crew calls it a wrap and they head back to Kiev in a rainstorm, anxious to reach the city before curfew goes into effect.
Wang Zhi'an's maverick attempt to report from Ukraine has gotten off to a promising start.
It's a first small step, far from comprehensive and not entirely neutral, but a necessary step for the Chinese-language media to break from the strait-jacket of state TV coverage. In taking a chance to see Ukraine for himself he offers his Chinese audience something fresh, original and close to the heart of things.
For those who doubt the ability of the many smart men and women working in China's state media, Wang Zhi’an offers a glimpse of the kind of reports that can be produced if one's hands are not tied and one is not obliged to toe the party line.
Wang Zhi'an has a channel on YouTube and is active on Twitter. For the time being it is unlikely any of his reports will be aired China, but net-savvy citizens with access to VPN's and other work-arounds will find a way to view his work.
