Suspilne shares their wartime safety protocol

In the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Suspilne followed the clear safety plan they had developed taking into account their experience from 2014, when the enemy seized the premises of Suspilne’s branches in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea, says Suspilne chief of safety Vitaliy Datsenko, as reported on the broadcaster’s website.

“Since the start of the full-scale invasion, no documents that could identify our staff or their relatives, financial or confidential information fell into the occupiers' hands. This enabled our employees to work under occupation in Kherson,” Datsenko said.

Vitaliy Datsenko / Photo by Suspilne

He says that the protocol advised employees not to live in places where people know them. The safety protocol also featured an action plan in the event of a man-made disaster threat for Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

“We developed protocols for filming crews to work in combat zones or areas close to the battlefield, the so-called 'red' zone. We developed a protocol for our journalists and filming crews in the afffected by missile hits, air strikes, ballistic strikes, and all others,” added the Suspilne chief of safety.

He remarked that the protocols were developed together with journalists and war correspondents who go on missions accompanied by the safety department staff.

“Bomb shelters are an important element of safety. Since Suspilne staff work both in offices and 'on the ground', we have regulatory documents: regulations on access, response protocols and action plans in the event of an air raid, evacuation plans,” says Vitaliy Datsenko.

He shared the basic rules of conduct for journalists in a combat zone:

• do not stop along the route due to mine or explosives threats;
• reduce the necessary stops in relatively safe spots to a minimum;
• do not let filming crews spend nights in hotels where journalists and military personnel are staying;
• do not schedule meetings with press officers in public catering establishments or other crowded locations due to the threat of shelling;
• keep the double tap strike threat in mind;
• do not trust strangers.

As reported earlier, the website suspilne.media is now accessible in the temporarily occupied territories via the Android browser Ceno, which requires no VPN connection.