A Suspilne Dnipro filming crew came under mortar fire while working in Kapulivka (Dnipropetrovsk oblast) on 30 March, the broadcaster’s correspondent Roman Mykhalchuk reported to Kateryna Lysiuk, the regional Institute of Mass Information representative.

Kapulivka on the Deep State map / Screenshot by Kateryna Lusiuk (taken 01.04.2026)

Roman Mykhalchuk and Danyil Nikolayenko were filming a news story about Nikopol district civilians living under constant shelling. The crew was about to film a standup (i.e. a clip with the reporter standing in front of the camera) when mortars started firing from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia oblast.

“We were accompanied by police officers. We arrived at the riverbank with them to quickly film the aftermath of Russian strikes on the coastal zone. And as we were filming the standup, mortarmen started firing at us from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia oblast. Apparently, the Russians saw the police car and us in bulletproof vests and helmets through their optics. We heard the whistle of a shell that hit the middle of the street about 100 meters away from us. Taking cover somewhere right away was not an option, because it happened in a matter of seconds. Compared to the FPV, this was much scarier, because you don’t know where exactly it will hit,” said Roman Mykhalchuk.

Correspondent Roman Mykhalchuk recording a standup, with the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia oblast in the background. Photo via Roman Mykhalchuk

The media workers dropped to the ground and waited out the first explosions, then ran to the police car and drove off. However, the shelling did not stop, adds cameraman Danyil Nikolayenko.

“We got into the police car and another shell fell down not far away from it. We got out of there as fast as we could. The police say they were firing at us because they [the Russian troops] spotted a police car and people from their Mavics,” said Danyil Nikolayenko.

Smoke rising after the second shell fell down near some buildings in Kapulivka / Photo via Roman Mykhalchuk

The mine exploded 50 meters away from the car, Roman Mykhalchuk said. None of the journalists or police officers were injured.

Suspilne Dnipro crew, the Nikopol district police spokeswoman Alyona Kramarenko, and Pokrovske village community police officer Bohdan Monakhov after reaching safety. Photo via Roman Mykhalchuk

Previously, on 17 March 2025, a Suspilne Dnipro filming crew was able to escape a Russian FPV drone following them thanks to being equipped with a drone detector. The incident happened in Demuryne village (Dnipropetrovsk oblast).