On the front line in the Donbass, in Kharkiv, in Dnipro, in Zaporijia… Maryse Burgot, reporter for France Télévisions, to follow in the 8 p.m. from Monday to Sunday on France 2, has returned from three weeks in Ukraine. She tells us.
How does it feel to return from a mission in a war zone?
MARYSE BURGOT: I don’t feel so authorized to have moods. I am in Paris and I am thinking of the civilians who are still under the bombs. As soon as we get home, we say to ourselves: “I’m going to leave again.” I don’t like to say that because I’m also going home to be with my family. But I have this feeling of guilt for having deserted.
You are one of those who arrived before the Russian invasion…
I was indeed in the trenches in Donbass which was already a war zone. There were moments of tension. We saw the Ukrainian Minister of the Interior attacked before our eyes. We heard the whistle of the mortar shell. Twice the police took us for Russian saboteurs. We were put in play in a very tense way.
Is managing risk a constant job?
It’s a daily headache: deciding between what to do or not.
Does this famous field experience help?
Downright. That doesn’t mean you’re not a very good reporter when you’re young. But experience helps you gauge the danger and leave at the right time. I left Kharkiv the day before the Territorial Defense headquarters were bombed. I was still very inspired. TF1 was in it. The morning it happened, I said to myself: “Damn, we’re not there”. When I saw the images, I said to myself on the contrary that we had done well. My colleague Michael Scott of TF1 showed extraordinary composure.
When were you most scared?
I don’t like to use that word. We do not go to conflict zones if we are afraid. There are moments of tension and pressure, but it’s short.
You have two sons aged 20 and 17. Are they worried about you?
No, I call them every day. I believe that I do not transmit any stress to my children. They never said to me: “I am afraid for you”. When I get back, I don’t tell them about my war. I rather ask them how they are doing.
They can be proud of you, all the same…
No doubt a little. My eldest son sent me a note on March 8 for Women’s Day: “Mom, you deserve to be thought of today.” I found it kind and caring. My kids know I spend my life canceling dinner parties. It bores me at the time but I always prefer the report to the end. (She smiles.)
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