 (1) (1)-1669357301.jpg)
It turns out it is more common for that invitation to come with very little detail. The main reason for that is security - it is not exactly wise to publicise when a minister is going to be somewhere, especially when you are being invaded by another country.
We decided to accept and soon found ourselves at an airfield near Kyiv, where we and other journalists were led onto a helicopter. By this point we knew our destination was the city of Zaporizhzhia, and the subject was the growing danger from the region's nuclear power plant further south.
Within 30 seconds of the journey starting, I realized why we were offered anti-nausea tablets before taking off. To stay undetected, the pilot keeps the helicopter around 10 meters off the ground, occasionally hurdling over electric powerlines.
There are endless fields of sunflowers. Some are in full bloom, some are wilting, past their best. Regardless, the harvest is fast approaching. Then there is the dense woodland - thousands upon thousands of towering trees that come so close to touching the skids of the chopper.
You are left under no illusion of Ukraine's vast and rich landscape. After landing in Zaporizhzhia, you are struck by two things: the more industrious skyline in comparison to Kyiv, as well as the humidity.
We end up at a supermarket car park where emergency workers are dressed in yellow hazmat suits. They are practicing cleaning drills in the event of radioactive contamination.
To stay undetected, the pilot keeps the helicopter around 10 meters off the ground, occasionally hurdling over electric powerlines.
There are endless fields of sunflowers. Some are in full bloom, some are wilting, past their best. Regardless, the harvest is fast approaching. Then there is the dense woodland - thousands upon thousands of towering trees that come so close to touching the skids of the chopper.
You are left under no illusion of Ukraine's vast and rich landscape. After landing in Zaporizhzhia, you are struck by two things: the more industrious skyline in comparison to Kyiv, as well as the humidity.
We end up at a supermarket car park where emergency workers are dressed in yellow hazmat suits. They are practising cleaning drills in the event of a radioactive contamination.
The car park is also a place where Ukrainians who manage to make it out of Russian-occupied territories first arrive.
There are queues of cars with people and full suitcases. Sitting in the shade we meet Olena, who has just made it out of the city of Enerhodar, where the nuclear plant is located.
"It's scary, very scary, there is shelling all the time," she says while bouncing her toddler on her knee."There have been many more explosions and it became too dangerous to stay there.
"I didn't want to leave home, but I had no choice." This car park represents Ukraine controlling what it can.
Hot Topics
Taiwan: Will There Be A War Against China? What We Need To Know More
7 Of The Best Bank Stocks To Buy For 2022
Biden’s Created Our Bad New Normal, And He’s Loving It
Unable to force the Russians from Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, the country is instead trying to prepare for the worst, if it happens. Source: BBC
