Exclusive: Frontline Ukrainian journalist who survived Russian shell attack shares his story
By Simon Newton, BFBS Forces News' Ukraine correspondent in Kyiv
In a forest on the eastern front, a Ukrainian drone unit are being filmed for a news report when a shell lands just metres from their position.
The soldiers standing near the blast were injured but, remarkably, no-one was killed.
Taking place near Chasiv Yar, the footage was captured by journalist Roman Pahulych and his cameraman Pavlo Kholodov.
Roman, who's 35, has been covering the war since the start.
He told BFBS Forces News' Ukraine correspondent Simon Newton, who is in Kyiv, their plan was to film an FPV (first-person view) drone crew who use so-called 'dragon drones', which drop thermite on enemy positions.
"It was that crew that had the plan to use it," he said.
"It was early morning, we came to position while it was dark.
Simon Newton spoke on the latest episode of the BFBS' Sitrep podcast – which analyses the top defence stories of the week and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
Click on the link above to hear more about his time in Kyiv.
"We didn't stay there for a long time, maybe for 20 minutes."
He said the crew were planning on making a flight, "but it was cancelled" and they faced a 40-minute wait.
"Because of that, for like three minutes, we stayed on the open space," Mr Pahulych said.
"And so during this three minutes, the first shell… we don't know, maybe it's artillery, maybe it's a tank or who shot from a big distance came right near us."
It's thought a tree took some of the impact and saved the soldiers' lives.
The Ukrainian journalist explained that, for him, he was "metres" from the impact zone.
"But, luckily for us, there were only minor injuries," he said. "And we had an opportunity to evacuate, because evacuation in daylight, it's a big problem.
"It's not really possible all the time. Sometimes you just have to wait until dark.
"But we were lucky. We were lucky that there were no FPV drones after the artillery shelling because it lasted maybe for 10 minutes."
The blast left Roman with hearing damage and the soldiers he was with returned to active duty after being treated.
He said for the nation, the Ukrainian people and Kyiv's armed forces, the war is just part of daily life now.
"It's maybe weird to say, but it's just a habit because we live through this thing all the time," he said.
"Air alarms, some drones, rockets incoming… it creates some problems in our lives.
"But I think the most important thing is that your close people, your loved ones, your colleagues, your friends, are fine, because every day in Ukraine, people die."
More than 100 journalists, camera operators and other media professionals have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022.
In the next few weeks, Roman will be returning to the frontline, risking his own life once again to tell the story of his country's struggle for survival.
You can listen to Sitrep wherever you get your podcasts, including on the Forces News YouTube channel.
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