Working 20 km from the temporarily occupied territories, the journalists of 'Vilne Radio' weren't delusional. Their strategy of leaving Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, was well prepared years before Russia's appetites grew wild.
"The last time our team worked from the office was on February 23, 2022. Around lunchtime, I instructed everyone to go home and prepare to leave the city that same day or, at the latest, the next morning," Anastasiia recalls.
The local media workers decided it was better to lay low somewhere else, further away from the Russians, even if nothing would happen.
But it did.
On August 3, Russia in one of their missile barrages destroyed the building in which the 'Vilne Radio' office was located. It happened early in the morning.
"We were well aware that we would be a perfect target," Anastasiia says. "That's why we hadn't worked from the office since day one of the Russian full-scale invasion, even though some of us still lived in Bakhmut."
As 'Vilne Radio' co-founder, Anastasiia remembers how the team of journalists had long been looking for a place they could set up camp and work from. It was neither quick nor easy in pre-front Bakhmut, especially since their team was rapidly growing.
"Our large office was a real luxury. You could ride a bicycle there and still not disturb anyone. Sometimes we took our dogs with us to work and we had a Christmas tree up all year round. We invited a whole range of guests to the office to conduct interviews, not to mention clients to discuss advertising orders. Flags, motivational posters, and photos of our guests with their signatures adorned our walls."
Those walls fell at once as the office building was deliberately targeted.
The day it happened, Anastasiia saw a related message in some Russian patriotic web group on Telegram. It claimed that "about 20 troops of nationalistic 'Aidar' Battalion" were dislocated in the building, along with "possibly foreign mercenaries."
We were at the office a few days before the attack. Coincidentally, we planned to go back and collect more equipment in the afternoon of August 3, but we had no chance. Not long before that strike, our guard refused to go to work, he told it was too dangerous, and Bakhmut was under constant fire. So, luckily, the only losses are material.
Some of the material items, however, cannot be replaced because they captured the spirits of those who are no longer alive.
Among them are local obstetrician-gynecologistIryna Volkova, director of the Bakhmut Museum of Local History Olena Smyrnova, and historianOleksandr Dobrovolskyi. All were 'Vilne Radio' guests. Their signed photos were a part of the media's history and surrounded its team for a long time.
"When we reflect on our work in Bakhmut, it is inextricably linked to this office. This space has truly become a second home for our team. It was cozy, and the desire to return there lingered."
As of now, the media team operates remotely, focusing on Donetsk Oblast events the same as before the Russian full-scale invasion.
"We periodically strategize to respond accordingly and efficiently to the rapidly changing situation. During the fighting in Bakhmut, we wrote in a specific way, but when the town was nearly captured by Russian occupiers, our approach to writing about it changed."
Nonetheless, the media's commitment to the internal life of the Oblast persists. Anastasiia emphasizes that they continue to share local people's stories, pose questions to local officials, and monitor court cases or the local communities transactions.
Whether facing partial occupation or the destruction of their office, the independent media continues to carry out its work. And so, their label 'independent' takes on new meaning in the context of war. It demonstrates their exceptional strength in the face of adversity.
