‘The Russians are targeting hotels where journalists stay so the truth is not told about their war crimes’

Martin Shipton

Russian invaders are deliberately targeting hotels in eastern Ukraine to eliminate journalists so their war crimes won’t get reported, according to a new report.

One of the victims was Ryan Evans, 38, a former British soldier from Wrexham who was employed by the Reuters to provide security for the news agency’s staff. He was killed in August 2024 when Russian forces bombed Hotel Sapphire in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, controlled by Ukraine but close to the front line.

On June 3 a team of journalists who have been covering the war close-up will brief MSs at the Senedd about the hazards of reporting such a conflict. Most will be Ukrainian, but among them will be

from Cardiff, who spent years reporting from the most dangerous places in Ukraine, where the war is at its height.

Accountability

She spoke to Nation.Cymru about her own experiences, and what motivated her to report from a war zone.

“Journalists tell the truth and bring information to the forefront,” she said. “But if that channel of information is not there, Russia or any malign actor can get away with what they are doing.

Unfortunately it’s medics and journalists who are the big target. If there’s no journalist there to tell the story, they’ve evaded accountability.”

Asked whether the Russians had local people who would tell them where journalists were staying, or whether the attacks were more random, Ms Daly said: “There are specific hotels, all along the front line, which are known to be used by journalists, due to safety and things like that. Russians are very good at finding things out, so unfortunately they probably have a list of the hotels where journalists normally stay.

“I’ve stayed in Hotel Sapphire myself, but I do avoid staying in hotels normally. Usually I’m staying where the military is, purely because I was a freelancer and due to funding didn’t get the same security.

“So I would be staying in a basement or in a field, anywhere within military space where I am, which is just as dangerous. The Russians can get a good gauge of who’s there from phone usage. There are people, not many, but there are collaborators who do work in hostile regions, whether they’re being paid, bribed, who knows, why they’d be working with Russia, but sometimes they are.

“Hotel Sapphire was a known hotel for journalists to stay. It was well located, because to travel back and forth throughout the front line is very difficult. It’s a long way and the roads are terrible.

“Finding a hotel or somewhere to stay that has ready water, electricity etc is difficult. So Hotel Sapphire was known to house journalists, and therefore Russia sees it as a legitimate target, which, of course, in international humanitarian law, it is not.

“The international press sometimes have a security team who understand how war and conflict works, and they can kind of assess what’s coming. They’re able to put in a sort of hazard perception, as best they can. But nowhere is safe, unfortunately. So they just do the best they can.

“Unfortunately Ryan wasn’t protected. I had met him very briefly. He seemed like a really great person.”

Luck

Asked how she had managed to survive, Ms Daly said: “To be honest, a lot of it is luck. I’ve been in places where it is very dangerous – in basements with drone teams, where the Russians know that the Ukrainian drone teams are in there, and it’s a direct target. As a freelancer, it’s very difficult to remain safe, almost impossible, which sounds quite obvious when you’re working in a war zone.

“It is a very vulnerable and dangerous job to do. However, you know, I do feel that there needs to be something in place for freelancers and other media workers to protect them that little bit better. Things like for instance, if perhaps I was in a precarious situation, I needed to get out, I needed some help. I wouldn’t know where to turn. I think there needs to be some sort of system where freelancers could reach out to an organisation to help them.”

Asked how she had coped psychologically, Ms Daly said: “When you’re in there, you’re kind of within this bubble, and you just keep going. But when you leave, I think the psychological damage is a lot more impactful than people realise. So it’s not just physical support that freelancers need, it’s psychological support as well.

“I used to get through it by returning [to Ukraine]. It sounds very strange, but to keep going and be within it and to feel that I’m still trying to bring light to people that need it was the way I coped. However, now I have a one year old son and returning is not so easy. So it’s a process that I’m still going through.

“But the fact that I’m still able to report on it from home,even though I’m not on the front line and in the trenches, means I’m still able to sort of bring light to what’s happening there in another aspect. And I think that is what’s really helping me get through.”

Nevertheless, she says that her feet are more than itchy now that she’s home: “That is something that I am struggling with.

ADHD

“When I was younger, I was diagnosed with quite severe ADHD. So I’m always looking for what’s happening inside me.This sounds like a very crazy thing, but it was the first time I sort of found peace inside. I think because there was so much going on outside. And I’ve always been a very empathetic person, so much so that, you know, I always put someone else before myself.

“So when I saw what was happening in Ukraine, I wanted to try to help, even if it’s just a small bit, to tell their story. And I understand that’s quite naive because there’s only so much that a journalist can do. However, there’s a certain something inside me that really makes me sort of agitated when I’m sad and not doing anything. I get very, very agitated.

“Being out there with all that noise, there’s so much more to focus on, instead of trivial things. Oh my goodness. I forgot to put the wash on. Or, oh, my washing got wet in the rain. You know, life is very, very trivial.

“ I feel very lucky to live in this world where I don’t have to worry about a bomb or where my child’s going to sleep tonight, or is it going to be safe? So I do feel very lucky in that aspect. But then on the other hand, I also feel uncomfortable living in this world where I am very comfortable. There’s so many people around the world that are not lucky enough to be in that situation. And there’s very few people that would be willing to put themselves in that situation out of choice, to tell the stories of those who are suffering. But I’ve been dealt that hand and am happy to do so.

“Yes. There’s not many people that would have that mentality, but there’s something inside me that makes me feel uncomfortable until I’m there. Once I’m there, though, I’m almost at peace even though I’m in a place without peace. So it’s a very strange concept, and I’ve never quite understood it. But the first time I was there, I felt I understood myself for the first time.

“Being within a war zone, I understood myself. And all my worries and misunderstandings of myself went away. The only thing I was focussed on was the civilians that were there, the children that I was speaking to and their parents. Everything else didn’t matter. Of course, my son matters, hence why I’m not there now.

“So it’s very, very tricky. I always had this feeling of guilt whenever I left. And I still have that feeling of guilt for not being there now. So it’s a very tricky thing to sort of navigate.”

Predicting the future for Ukraine isn’t easy and the country took a knock when Donald Trump returned to power. But for Ukrainians, says Jess Daly, the idea of ceding land for peace is inconceivable: “Ukraine, at the moment, and I can’t imagine this changing, is not willing to give up any land for Russia, due to the amount of people that have died. Zelensky has made it clear that’s not on the negotiating table at all. So they’re not willing to give any land to Russia. Ukraine’s been through a lot already, politically, domestically, in every way.”

There is also the issue of thousands of children who have been taken by the Russians: “[The Ukrainians] won’t stop until they get as many of those children back. But it’s very difficult. We don’t know where a lot of them are. Lots of them are untraceable.

“Many are going through indoctrination camps. There’s children that have been in occupied Donbas and Luhansk for 10 years. And maybe now they’ve grown up into this Russian world, it’s not going to be easy. Even if the war finished today and no more missiles flew, there’s a long way to go. In terms of civilian infrastructure, and psychologically, there’s so much to repair.”