NICOLA Sturgeon has paid tribute to “inspiring” war correspondents after a BBC news anchor gave a frank account of reporting from a Kyiv bomb shelter.
The First Minister hailed the “unsung heroes” in response to Clive Myrie’s explanation of why he and other journalists are staying in a live war zone to report on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The foreign correspondent, speaking on air to his colleague Christian Fraser, summed up the thoughts of war reporters as they shelter underground in Kyiv.
READ MORE: Russia war in Ukraine: Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson under attack
“None of us were forced to come here,” Myrie said. “It’s part of our job. We feel that we want to tell the story of this war and tell it accurately and fairly.
“That is so important because there is so much … I was going to use the word crap but I might as well … there is so much crap out there that is misinformation, propaganda, nonsense.
“And what you’re trying to do, whether it’s the New York Times, Washington Post, Channel 4, ITV, Sky, the BBC, you’re trying to be truthful to this story. You’re trying to represent the people who are having to cower down here. You want to represent them fairly.
“You’ve got to weigh that against your own personal safety and we have a security team here. We all talk about how much further we can go, covering this story, when perhaps should we pull out.”
Myrie explained journalists were concerned about how they would be treated in what he considered to be the inevitable victory of Vladimir Putin’s forces.
“They’re going to win this,” he said. “I mean they’ve got the force of power so let’s not pretend that the Ukrainian army is potentially going to win this struggle because there are simply too many Russian troops.”
The BBC journalist continued: “What is their [Russian troops’] attitude going to be to Western journalists? That is something you’ve got to weigh up as well.
“I arrived here on the eve of war last Tuesday. I actually thought I was going to be getting out three or four days later because no-one believed Vladimir Putin would actually launch this all out invasion … and I’m still here.
“It’s a day to day thing really as to deciding how long you’re going to stay and what it is you’re trying to achieve.”
Sturgeon responded to a clip of Myrie’s interview after it was posted on Twitter.
She commented: “Journalists like @CliveMyrieBBC and so many others who report from war zones really are unsung heroes.
“Their professionalism, calm under pressure and sheer bravery is inspiring. Journalism at its very best.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson confronted by Ukrainian journalist in Warsaw
Myrie gave his report on Tuesday as a huge Russian convoy made its way to the capital.
On Wednesday morning it was reported that Russian airborne troops have landed in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, while the Kremlin claimed to have captured the southern port city of Kherson after invading soldiers were spotted in the city centre.
Cities across the country have been subjected to brutal bombing campaigns, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accusing Putin of waging a war of “terror” on the civilian population.
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