Arnaud De Decker, a journalist for Bruzz, made the decision to become a foreign correspondent for various media outlets, including Het Laatste Nieuws and the program “Daily” by Yann Barthes in Ukraine last year. Recently, he found himself at the front in Bakhmout with the Ukrainian army’s 92nd brigade when two Russian missiles exploded nearby. Arnaud and a young soldier sought shelter in a ruined building and were conducting an interview when they heard a whistle and witnessed two explosions. The group fled their hiding spot and ran 500 meters to find new shelter. Arnaud said it was a very intense experience, and he plans to rest before returning to report on the reality in Ukraine and Zelensky’s troops.
Journalist notably for Bruzz, Arnaud De Decker chose last year to leave for Ukraine to become a foreign correspondent for several media, including Het Laatste Nieuws, or for the program Daily by Yann Barthes.
Two days ago, the young man from Brussels was on the hot spot on the front, in Bakhmoutwith the 92nd brigade of the Ukrainian army when two Russian missiles exploded a few tens of meters from him.
“With a 25-year-old Ukrainian soldier, we approached the front, regarding 500 meters from the Russians. There, we took shelter in the ruins of a building that had been dynamited,” Arnaud De Decker told Bruzz. He was interviewing the young soldier, filming the exchange, when a first missile explosion occurred. Quickly followed by a second, ten meters from the group, as the journalist explains: “It started with a whistle, which was very close. Then there was the explosion. There was black smoke everywhere , I mightn’t see anything. I had a ringing in my ears. The soldier I was with was screaming.”
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Spotted by the Russian forces, Arnaud and the soldiers who accompanied him then fled their hiding place, sprinting for 500 meters to take shelter elsewhere. “I had a cramp in my right leg. But in those moments, we don’t think. We run, that’s all. It’s purely survival”.
For the Belgian, following this “very intense” experience, it’s time to rest. He intends to return to Belgium at some point, but for now, he wants to continue reporting on the reality on the ground in Ukraine, and the daily life of Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops.
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Arnaud De Decker’s courage in reporting from the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine is both admirable and harrowing. His recent close brush with death serves as a reminder of the dangers faced by journalists in covering such events. However, it is because of the bravery of reporters like Arnaud that the world is able to gain insight into the reality of life for those affected by war. We wish Arnaud a speedy recovery and hope that he continues to shed light on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
