“First bullet impact broke windshield”: British news team tells how it was ambushed in Ukraine | War Ukraine and Russia

Team contacts had said it was quiet in Bucha, where a Russian convoy had been knocked out by Ukrainian troops the day before. They had promised to take journalist Stuart Ramsay to the scene of the attack and tell them exactly what had happened.

As they left the center of Kiev, it soon became clear that it was not going to be an easy journey. They drove from checkpoint to checkpoint, where they had to negotiate each time to be let through. “The tension is palpable,” Ramsay now tells the story. “The fighters are nervous and that is made worse by the constant sound of machine gun fire in the distance and the rumble of artillery and mortars.”

After driving and driving for hours and noticing that there was still heavy fighting in the area, they decided to turn around and return to Kiev on the advice of Ukrainian troops.

The return journey was equally difficult, but steady. Until they came to a deserted intersection west of Kiev. “It was dead quiet and I have to admit that we were not comfortable with that,” said Ramsay. “There was debris on the road, but that’s not abnormal. There were no soldiers. Everything seemed deserted. Until suddenly a small explosion sounded and I saw something hit the car. A tire clapped. And then our world was turned upside down.”

“The first bullet impact broke the windshield,” he continues. “Cameraman Richie Mockler ducked into the footwell of the front passenger seat. At that moment we were fully attacked. Bullets flew all over the car, we saw tracers from guns, flashes of bullets and glass from the windows. The car seats, steering wheel and dashboard were shot to pieces.”

They were later told by Ukrainians that they had been ambushed by a reconnaissance team of Russian saboteurs. “It was professional. The bullets kept hitting our car. They did not miss.”

According to Ramsay, they soon realized they had to get out of the car if they were to survive. Producer Martin Vowles – who was behind the wheel – and his local colleague Andrii Lytvynenko were the first to run. Then South African producer Dominique Van Heerden followed. “She pushed open her door, slid to the ground and quickly crawled to the guardrail on the side of the road. She dived into the verge there.”

Then Ramsay suddenly felt that he was hit in the lower back. “Richie was yelling, but I don’t remember much about that,” he says. “I was surprised that it actually didn’t hurt much. It felt more like a blow. Strangely enough, I remained very calm. I managed to put on my helmet, fumbled for my phones and press card and made a run for the berm. My helmet and body armor almost certainly saved my life.”

Behind him, Richie also tried to get away. But every time he moved, the car was fired again. “He was protected by the engine and he knew it. Suddenly it became quiet. What seemed like an eternity later, he dove into the roadside with us, followed by a hail of bullets.”

Richie turned out to have been hit twice, but luckily in his bulletproof vest. “We were in shock, but all five of us were still alive. We couldn’t believe it,” said Ramsay. “Martin called it a miracle.”

Protected by a concrete wall, they managed to get out of the line of fire. They then fled into a factory. Images show how they sprint across the street one by one in search of shelter. “We were sure that the gunmen would come after us and finish us,” he said.

There were three men in the building. They helped the news crew in. After contacting the Sky News office, they eventually managed to be evicted by the Ukrainian police. It brought them to safety. The next day they were back in Kiev. “We have been very lucky,” he said. “But thousands of Ukrainians don’t have that. And every day this war is getting worse.”

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