Putins Krieg – Wie die Menschen in der Ukraine für unsere Freiheit kämpfen

The well-known ZDF correspondent Katrin Eigendorf has been reporting regularly from Ukraine for many years. This was also the case during the dramatic days and weeks following February 24, 2022, when Vladimir Putin brought war back to Europe with his brutal attack on Ukraine. In light of the images from Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, Germany has also awakened after having downplayed Vladimir Putin for many years.

Katrin Eigendorf shares stories of the war that Putin is waging with full force, particularly against the civilian population. She recounts her encounters with people who have lost everything overnight, families that have been torn apart, and children who have lost their childhood. These are encounters that repeatedly push the limits of pain, even for a reporter.

Katrin Eigendorf witnessed the beginning of this development back in 2008 in Georgia when the Kremlin sent its troops to Tbilisi. And in 2014 in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol, when the Russian army attacked and occupied eastern Ukraine following its invasion of Crimea. These wars were also not taken seriously enough in Germany.

Putin's narrative of a war against a fascist government in Kyiv, of standing up for Russia's security, is a cynical lie. His war also reveals the complete weakness of an authoritarian regime. A system that bombs children and starves people, that cannot tolerate the truth, has failed. Never has it been more important for Katrin Eigendorf to be on the ground and to show what is truly at stake in Ukraine: the struggle of a people for freedom and democracy - even in Europe.