KYIV: The skies had just turned dark in Kyiv.
We were making our way back to the hotel after a long day of filming, and the mood was jovial and relaxed.
My crew and I were discussing what to eat, when our security consultant turned to us, and said, “We’re getting some sort of intelligence suggesting that the Russians might do something tomorrow, so when you head back, pack up your stuff and be ready to move off anytime.”
This was the day before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian government, as well as analysts, had warned that Russia might launch a fresh offensive the following day, so that its President Vladimir Putin can have a symbolic victory to show his people.
The mood in our vehicle immediately changed.
We weren’t panicking, but the small talk ceased, as we focused on what lies ahead.
GETTING TO UKRAINE
We had travelled to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, and Kyiv to cover the first anniversary of the war.
Getting in wasn’t easy.
First, we had to apply for accreditation from the country’s Ministry of Defence, and this takes at least 30 days to process.
The day we flew off to Poland, we had still not received our accreditation, and without that, we cannot apply for visas to enter Ukraine.
But fortunately, it came through the day we touched down in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, and we headed to the Ukrainian consulate in the city to process our visa.
After getting it, getting into Ukraine was a straightforward process, or as straightforward as can be given that the country is at war.
From Warsaw, we drove to the border, and then to Lviv, a journey which took us about seven hours where previously, we could have flown in to Lviv.
But Ukraine’s airspace is closed to civilian flights.
TELLTALE SIGNS OF WAR
It’ll take us another eight hours to drive from Lviv to Kyiv, so we decided to spend the night in Lviv.
When we arrived in the late afternoon, the city looked normal.
People were out and about, and the traffic was fairly busy.
There were also teenagers skateboarding in a square in a central part of the city.
But look closer, and there are telltale signs that the country is at war, however normal Lviv feels.
Some windows, especially in churches, were boarded up.
And the city council had conspicuous amounts of sandbags at ground level.
Still, by and large Lviv felt relaxed, and even at night, the bars and restaurants were busy.
And in the morning, people are walking their dogs as trams trundle through the cobblestone streets of its UNESCO-listed Old Town.
