This week on 60 Minutes, CBS News correspondent Holly Williams profiled Ukrainian war journalist Andriy Tspalienko.
Reporting for the Ukrainian newspaper 1+1, Tsaplienko became a vital source of information and a hero to many Ukrainians, fearlessly pursuing the truth on the front lines, sometimes risking his life.
“His story tells you something about the sacrifices that so many Ukrainians are willing to make… to try to save their young democracy,” Williams told 60 Minutes Overtime.
Williams and producer Erin Lyall first met the Ukrainian journalist aboard a US Navy warship in the summer of 2021, six months before the Russian invasion.
Their reporting focused on the operations of U.S. warships in the Black Sea, which were working with NATO allies to preempt a possible Russian attack.
Tsaplienko took a different approach in his reporting: he wanted to show Ukrainians what a modern army looks like.
“I myself felt that we were [on] the eve of a bigger war,” he told Williams in an interview with 60 Minutes.
“My main task was… to show Ukrainians how people serve in [a] a normal big army,” he told Williams in an interview.
Tsaplienko showed his viewers the sleeping quarters, gym and cafeteria, which included an ice machine, for the naval officers on board.
“I tried to find non-traditional angles,” Tspalienko said.
“And I myself wanted to give the Ukrainians hope that we are not alone. ‘Look, it’s a big American ship with us. They will help us. They will support us.'”
Ruslan Galushchak is a photographer who worked with Tsaplienko when Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
He told Williams that no matter where they were, people recognized Tsaplienko and wanted to have their photo taken with him.
“He is watched by the whole country and, one could say, the whole world. But at the same time, he is a very simple man,” he said.
“I can say we have very similar vibes, similar values in life.”
An experience that brought them closer took place in Chernihiv in 2022.
Russian forces were closing in on the city. Garlushchak, Tsaplienko and a driver were crossing a narrow humanitarian corridor intended for the exodus of civilians.
Suddenly, a military officer ran towards them, announcing that a drone had been spotted and that the Russians were going to start bombing.
The team parked their car in a nearby neighborhood and got out of the vehicle. It was then that Garlushchak heard a frightening noise: the Russians were shooting in their direction.
“These were cluster munitions. We were at the epicenter of it all,” Garlushchak told Williams.
Tsaplienko thanks Garlushchak for saving his life by telling them all to hit the ground as soon as he heard the incoming shots.
“He was the first to hear the explosions and shout: ‘Get down. Everyone, get down,'” Tspalienko said.
“When we fell, the shrapnel came and hit everything around us.”
After the explosion, a military officer ordered them to take refuge in a nearby cellar and wait out the assault.
While underground, it became apparent that Tsaplienko had been seriously injured by shrapnel. He was bleeding profusely, his pants were soaked in blood.
“Andriy must have been in shock, at first he didn’t understand what had happened to him,” Garlushchak said.
“One of the [pieces of] shrapnel passed through his leg and came out without hitting important arteries and blood vessels. »
Tsaplienko told Williams he was lucky. If the shrapnel had pierced his leg a few centimeters, the wound would have been fatal.
The military officer present in the cellar was able to provide first aid and stop the bleeding. After the shelling stopped, Garlushchak and the driver transported Tsaplienko to the nearest hospital.
Despite the serious injury, Tsaplienko and Garlushchak continued their work and reported their experience at 1+1.
Garlushchak, in his 50s, was recently drafted into the army and is a front-line soldier, driving a Humvee for a combat drone unit.
“It tells you something about the magnitude of the draft in Ukraine, that a player in his 50s is being drafted,” Williams told Overtime.
“He got special permission to leave his unit, to come and talk to us about his experiences with Andriy.”
Garlushchak recently took part in Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, carrying out dangerous missions with his unit on Russian territory.
Tsaplienko told Williams he was deeply concerned for his friend’s safety. Recently, Garlushchak was almost killed by a Russian drone.
“He was attacked by [a] Russian FPV drone… it is alive, miraculously, because the drone did not explode in the car [he was in]. [It was] behind the car, only a few meters away… The Russians missed, and that’s why Ruslan is still alive.”
Garlushchak told Williams that working with Tsaplienko during the first months of the invasion was “one of the best times of my life.”
Tspalienko told Williams that Garlushchak was an “incredible professional.” But the humble photographer refused to accept this compliment.
“I think he overestimated my skills,” Garlushchak said.
“However, I repeat that we have similar vibes. We are like one team.”
The video above was directed by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.
Video courtesy of 1+1 Media, Volodymyr Kliuiev and Mykhailo Mostepan
