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Vladyslav Dunaienko: From young reporter to soldier on Ukraine’s front lines
Vladyslav Dunaienko
LAUSANNE, September 30, 2022 - The life of Vladyslav Dunaienko, a promising young journalist, turned upside down in February when Russia invaded his country Ukraine. Since then – after returning from a FIBA World Cup qualifying match between Ukraine and Spain in Cordoba - the 23-year-old has been a soldier on the front lines, having swapped his pen for a gun.
(Photo by Vladyslav Dunaienko)
Over these seven months he has also acquired new skills in other areas, including tactical medicine to become a combat medic, “in order to bring victory closer every day”.
During the emotional opening of AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony in June, Mentor Riccardo Romani, who covered the war in Ukraine and was present in war scenarios in Afghanistan and Iraq, spoke about Dunaienko.
AIPS Mentor Riccardo Romani speaking about Vlad at this year's AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony. (Photo by Carlo Pozzoni/AIPS Media)
“I met Vlad in Lausanne back in November during one of our Young Reporters Programmes. He is an excellent journalist, curious, a little bit shy, opinionated and was definitely one of the best in that week. I remember that week that I tried to make trying to make aware these young students of the challenges that the world of journalism poses and I was using a metaphor, three words “adapt or die” I could never imagine that few weeks later those three words would become so realistic and frightening. Vlad went from being a young hopeful reporter to an old soldier fighting for his life.”
Dunaienko (third from left) in a group photo of the AIPS Young Reporters at the Olympic Museum, Lausanne in November 2021 (Photo by Chibuogwu Nnadiegbulam/AIPS Media)
Dunaienko will be sharing his story on the opening day of the 84th AIPS Congress, on October 3 in a session titled: “Vladyslav Dunaienko: From Young Reporter to Soldier on Ukraine’s Front Lines”
Below are two write-ups he posted on social media expressing his feelings of life in war.
I'm gone.
It is useless to check the status online, wait for a message or a call - it will not come. The customer is unreachable, and most of the loved ones from the past life have long been deleted from the present. The person you knew before, no longer exists. The cursed war broke him, as it did to thousands of other fighters. But there is another man, not yet known to many.
I am not special, I did not have an unexpected fate, and higher powers did not reward me with crazy luck or unique talent. There are a lot of people who will still write posts for athletes, as I once wrote, dozens of journalists who will interview the heroes even better, and their articles will be published on the front pages. I even know those who court more skilfully - they will meet you after the victory with bright flowers and confess their love much more beautifully and sincerely. And here, in the war, there are a lot more skilled comrades - while I am blind, they shoot three times right where they need to.
War is a whole lifetime. It is shorter, but extremely rich. Here you find friends faster, and you lose them faster too. You learn faster and become more steadfast to feelings and emotions. You find enemies faster, but you get rid of them almost immediately. You fall in love faster, and then you learn to forget faster, when not a word is written to you in three weeks. There are no excuses. Needless to say, in less than three months I became a junior sergeant and deputy division commander when someone spends years on it.
I decided to dedicate my life to the war and will not return until it is over. Forgive me, Mom, even with your tears and persuasions, I can't come home. Dad, you know, I've always wanted to be one of the best, and now they're all here. And you are the same, because you have already gone in the direction of our native Luhansk. I'll definitely come back, and don't argue if you don't recognize me. I left myself here, where you dig every day to survive, you kill every day to survive, where you die every day, so that others can live.
I believe that everything is not in vain. And you should believe in it too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had the taste of life in war.
Which one is it?
Sweet: when all you can eat after a few days is a snickers forgotten in the basement of some house where you are hiding.
Salty: when swallowing quietly a tear after the news of the death of another comrade on the battlefield. But quietly, so no one sees or hears.
Bitter: when you realise that the war won't end today or tomorrow, your strength is at the limit and you need to replenish it because you promised yourself to fight till the end.
Sharp: when mines hit the walls of the house and they endure, when a Grad missile falls 10 metres from the car and does not explode, when an artillery projectile hits the road right behind you as soon as you drive by.
Sour: from the thought that someone still doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand what's going on, tries to live like nothing is nearby and hundreds of the best don’t die every day.
Fresh: because during these 7 months feelings and emotions get so dull that it’s hard to touch you with anything. Cynicism is what overwhelms you and makes you feel heartless.
This taste is different. And I would hardly have felt it if it weren’t for the war. You begin to appreciate life when you are one step away from death almost every day.
And at the same time, you can easily say goodbye to it, because there is no greater honour than to give your life for the Fatherland and its will.
Everyone will experience something different.
Over these seven months he has also acquired new skills in other areas, including tactical medicine to become a combat medic, “in order to bring victory closer every day”.
During the emotional opening of AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony in June, Mentor Riccardo Romani, who covered the war in Ukraine and was present in war scenarios in Afghanistan and Iraq, spoke about Dunaienko.
“I met Vlad in Lausanne back in November during one of our Young Reporters Programmes. He is an excellent journalist, curious, a little bit shy, opinionated and was definitely one of the best in that week. I remember that week that I tried to make trying to make aware these young students of the challenges that the world of journalism poses and I was using a metaphor, three words “adapt or die” I could never imagine that few weeks later those three words would become so realistic and frightening. Vlad went from being a young hopeful reporter to an old soldier fighting for his life.”
Dunaienko will be sharing his story on the opening day of the 84th AIPS Congress, on October 3 in a session titled: “Vladyslav Dunaienko: From Young Reporter to Soldier on Ukraine’s Front Lines”
Below are two write-ups he posted on social media expressing his feelings of life in war.
I'm gone.
It is useless to check the status online, wait for a message or a call - it will not come. The customer is unreachable, and most of the loved ones from the past life have long been deleted from the present. The person you knew before, no longer exists. The cursed war broke him, as it did to thousands of other fighters. But there is another man, not yet known to many.
I am not special, I did not have an unexpected fate, and higher powers did not reward me with crazy luck or unique talent. There are a lot of people who will still write posts for athletes, as I once wrote, dozens of journalists who will interview the heroes even better, and their articles will be published on the front pages. I even know those who court more skilfully - they will meet you after the victory with bright flowers and confess their love much more beautifully and sincerely. And here, in the war, there are a lot more skilled comrades - while I am blind, they shoot three times right where they need to.
War is a whole lifetime. It is shorter, but extremely rich. Here you find friends faster, and you lose them faster too. You learn faster and become more steadfast to feelings and emotions. You find enemies faster, but you get rid of them almost immediately. You fall in love faster, and then you learn to forget faster, when not a word is written to you in three weeks. There are no excuses. Needless to say, in less than three months I became a junior sergeant and deputy division commander when someone spends years on it.
I decided to dedicate my life to the war and will not return until it is over. Forgive me, Mom, even with your tears and persuasions, I can't come home. Dad, you know, I've always wanted to be one of the best, and now they're all here. And you are the same, because you have already gone in the direction of our native Luhansk. I'll definitely come back, and don't argue if you don't recognize me. I left myself here, where you dig every day to survive, you kill every day to survive, where you die every day, so that others can live.
I believe that everything is not in vain. And you should believe in it too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had the taste of life in war.
Which one is it?
Sweet: when all you can eat after a few days is a snickers forgotten in the basement of some house where you are hiding.
Salty: when swallowing quietly a tear after the news of the death of another comrade on the battlefield. But quietly, so no one sees or hears.
Bitter: when you realise that the war won't end today or tomorrow, your strength is at the limit and you need to replenish it because you promised yourself to fight till the end.
Sharp: when mines hit the walls of the house and they endure, when a Grad missile falls 10 metres from the car and does not explode, when an artillery projectile hits the road right behind you as soon as you drive by.
Sour: from the thought that someone still doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand what's going on, tries to live like nothing is nearby and hundreds of the best don’t die every day.
Fresh: because during these 7 months feelings and emotions get so dull that it’s hard to touch you with anything. Cynicism is what overwhelms you and makes you feel heartless.
This taste is different. And I would hardly have felt it if it weren’t for the war. You begin to appreciate life when you are one step away from death almost every day.
And at the same time, you can easily say goodbye to it, because there is no greater honour than to give your life for the Fatherland and its will.
Everyone will experience something different.
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