Before that, Yegor Gordeev made light entertainment. Now he’s a war correspondent for the Ukrainians – but live broadcasts had to be cut short because of the wailing of sirens.
Munich – For Yegor Gordeev, his job was also about putting a smile on people’s faces in Ukraine* in the morning. Lift your spirits as soon as you wake up. When a new day took off. Because the journalist leads as moderator through a popular breakfast show of the media group “1+1 Media”. That was before the invasion of Russian troops* by Vladimir Putin* and the bloodshed in his country. Before the Ukraine war.
Now Gordeev primarily wants to inform his compatriots. That’s why he keeps appearing on TV. But no longer in a glitzy production studio. But out of a bunker. In the middle of Kyiv.
Ukraine War: Presenter Had to “Leave Studio A Few Times During Live Broadcast”
In the RTL interview, the self-proclaimed researcher and storyteller speaks – as he describes himself on Instagram – about the adversities and the conditions in the capital, which the Kremlin boss is particularly interested in because of the western orientation of the government around Volodymyr Zelenskyj *.
“We’re in a bunker, had to leave the studio a couple of times during the live broadcast because we could hear the sirens wailing,” explains Gordeev, sitting at a simple desk in front of a tablet. Behind him is a dresser with flowers, a basket and a round board standing upright. At least some normality in times that feel so unreal.
Putin’s attack in Ukraine: Gordeev is the last broadcasting moderator in Kyiv
The Ukrainian flag can be seen on the wall. Blue and yellow – the colors currently connecting the world. According to Gordeev, he is currently the mouthpiece for reporters in the country: “All the channels in Ukraine have merged, we only have one channel that is running. I’m the moderator for it.” Communication is primarily via Instagram, “sometimes we get 1000 reports a day”.
But it’s not just that he’s unique, there’s only one cameraman and one director: “That’s a very unusual way of making television.” The most important news for him: “What we know is that Russian troops do that Chernobyl nuclear power plant. They took hostages there. Those are the two important things to know about in Europe.”
Video: Ukrainian girl sings in the bunker and moves everyone to tears
Ukraine war: “Bread, free roads, no murders”
In Kyiv, on the other hand, life continues relatively orderly: “We have bread in the shops, we have free streets, there are no murders. As for the network, the connection is sometimes better, sometimes worse. Sometimes we can go online,” Gordeev said.
However, no one is really spared in the metropolis. Everyone is reminded that the country is unwittingly in a war reminiscent of times long past.
Battle for Kyiv: “They want to take the city or destroy it”
“Around four in the morning a Russian plane was shot down over Kyiv. The bang woke me up,” reveals Gordeev. He knows what the hour has struck. That the decisive phase of the Russian attack may be near.
“Now there are a lot of Russian troops around Kyiv, but the city is not yet surrounded. But this is one of the main goals of the troops of the Russian Federation: they want to capture or destroy Kyiv,” emphasizes the brave presenter.
He previously confessed in an interview to British presenter duo Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard of Good Morning Britain: “It’s really a tough job, but everyone in Ukraine is doing their job right now. I think that we believe in our victory because right here, in our country, the border between past and future runs.” (mg) *merkur.de and tz.de are offers from IPPEN.MEDIA
