Stéphane Kenech
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thread 1/16
Behind the scenes of war reporting #ThreadChallenge

June 2013, just graduated, I was working for a TV production company. We had produced a documentary on a famous French actress, Michèle Mercier, known in the 1960s for playing the role of Angelique, Marquise of Angels.
03:25 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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thread 2/16
This beautiful woman was elevated to the rank of sex symbol in the 1960s, she was approached by the Shah of Iran and starred in You Can't Win 'Em All (1970) alongside Charles Bronson and Tony Curtis. In short, by spending time with her, I became her agent for two years.
03:25 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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Michelle Mercier thanks to her character Angelique became very well known in the USSR. So we were offered several contracts in Ukraine. We were invited to Kyiv, or Kharkiv, where we chartered an aging private jet. During 4 days, we were welcomed like kings by the governor
03:25 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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of the Kharkiv region at the time. Now accused of corruption. Accompanied by a French translator whom I will name Andrey, we are invited to a social evening in her honour at the Kharkiv Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
03:25 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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Then in the very large house of the then governor where we are welcomed with Petrus 1970 wine. To end the evening, we go down to his wine cellar which serves as a bunker. On television, Eurovision was broadcast on a large television. Eurovision is a cheesy
03:26 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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but popular event in Europe organised by the European Union. It brings together the members of the Union in a musical competition, broadcast live. Between two glasses of cognac, tempers flare. One part of the assembly supports the Russian team, the other the Ukrainian.
03:26 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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Without knowing it in 2013, we became spectators of a chaotic future that will divide the region. Andrey, the translator, is the calmest and most serene man I have ever known. He accompanied us to the airport tarmac at the end of our stay.
03:26 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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Almost 10 years later, I flew back to Ukraine in March 2022 to cover the Russian invasion. Goodbye private jet, I cross the border on foot in the opposite direction of the refugees who are fleeing Putin's bombs en masse. After a few weeks there, I decide to call Andrey, the translator in Kharkiv.
03:26 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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I told him about my desire to do some reporting in the region. It was at the time when the mass crimes in the Kyiv region were being discovered. Just at the moment when Russia started to withdraw to the east to concentrate on Kharkiv. To get to the east, I took a train,
03:26 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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thread 10/16
which regularly stops when air alerts are triggered. 18 hours to get to Kharkiv. On the platform, Andrey was waiting for me, impassive as usual. I had swapped my suit for a bullet-proof waistcoat and a helmet. He took me to a luxury hotel, closed because of the war. It was night.
03:27 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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The bombing resounds in the second city of Ukraine. The Russians were 8km from the city centre. The luxury hotel was empty but staff remained to guard the establishment. No lights were allowed at night to avoid being a target for the bombing. In the following days, I made a series of reports.
03:27 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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I focused on the consequences of the war on the daily life of civilians. Hiding in the metro, volunteers organizing themselves to deliver humanitarian aid to families in difficulty, but also on investigators working in the war zone to collect evidence of war crimes.
03:27 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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We find ourselves in a morgue with Andrey, dozens of bodies in body bags. The glitz and glamour of 2013 is long gone. We speed past the National Academic Opera Theatre, which used to be full of life and colour. Today, the building is grey with shards of glass and concrete on the floor.
03:27 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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It was hit by a missile on the first day of the war. I didn’t recognise anything anymore. I was confused. Andrey also no longer recognises his city. During a break between two reports, Andrey wanted to show me his office where he works. A bomb fell not far away, cutting short our walk.
03:27 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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We went to the site of the impact to establish the damage. One evening, tired and weary of the situation, we had a long talk, in the car park of the luxury hotel, become a shelter, during an air raid. What about sending a message to Michelle Mercier? At this point, Andrey's face closes.
03:28 PM - May 15, 2023
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Stéphane Kenech
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The happy past saddens him. As I left the city for Kyiv, Andrey accompanied me, not on an airport tarmac but on the station platform with the sound of bombing in the background. The man who had always seemed strong to me slips a tear. War broke everything. People, buildings, dreams.
03:28 PM - May 15, 2023
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