‘I just heard a big bang – I’ve never heard anything like it’: Moment CNN reporter ducks for cover as Kiev is hit by missile strikes
- Matthew Chance, Senior International correspondent said he heard between seven and eight explosions just after 5am on Thursday morning
- The explosions were distance and not in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev
- Chance quickly put on his flak jacket and headgear while he continued to report from a balcony in the Ukrainian capital
- The blasts came minutes after President Putin’s 5:50am address to the nation
A CNN reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev reported hearing blasts in the early hours of Thursday morning.
‘I just heard a big bang right here behind me. I’ve never heard anything like it.’
Matthew Chance, Senior International correspondent for the network said that he heard between seven and eight explosions.
Chance quickly put on his flak jacket and headgear while he continued to report from a balcony in the Ukrainian capital.
A CNN reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev reporting hearing blasts in the early hours of Thursday mornin
Chance did not want to take any chances and set about putting on his flak jacket and helmet
‘There are big explosions taking place. I can’t see them or explain what they are. but I will tell you the U.S has warned the Ukrainian authorities there could be air strikes and ground attacks as well around the country, including the capital.
‘I don’t know if that’s what’s occurring now but it’s a remarkable coincidence that the explosions come just minutes after Putin gave his speech,’ Chance explained.
‘This is the first time we’ve heard anything. It has been absolutely silent. This is the first time. It has to be more than just a coincidence.
‘I think tis’ safe where I am. I have a flak jacket,’ Chance remarked before ducking down to put on his protective gear.
He suggested that the blasts he heard in the Ukrainian capital but still some distance away from the center.
‘It was so quiet in Ukraine tonight up until those explosions,’ Chance explained.
The blasts came within minutes of Putin saying Russia would conduct a military operation in eastern Ukraine.
CNN’s Chance said it is not clear what the target was, however with it being the Ukrainian capitol, the city would be an obvious target.
CNN’S WAR REPORTS
War reporting has been at the heart of CNN’s coverage over the last 30 years.
The first Gulf War, codenamed Operation Desert Storm which ran for six weeks during January and February 1991 was significant for many reasons including CNN’s live reporting from a Baghdad hotel.
At the time, new technologies, such as satellite technology, allowed for a new type of war coverage.
For the first time, people all over the world were able to watch live pictures of missiles hitting their targets and fighters taking off from aircraft carriers.
The use of night vision equipment also gave the reporting a futuristic spin which was said to resemble video game imagery and encourage the ‘war drama’.
The war was covered live since its beginnings by the three main American networks, as well as CNN which was only ten years old.
CNN gained the most popularity for their coverage, and indeed its wartime coverage is often cited as one of the landmark events in the development of the network.
CNN was the only 24‑hour coverage news network at the time.
When war broke out the network was able to follow the events in Baghdad on a 24‑hour basis.
Even when other American journalists were told their safety might be at risk, CNN reporters stayed behind after their producers had built up good relationships with government officials in Baghdad.
During the first days of the bombing the CNN team was also able to report live via radio from their hotel suite in the Rashid Hotel, something no other network was able to do.
About 300 miles away to the east, in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, a steady stream of explosions were also heard where another CNN reporter, Clarissa Ward, CNNs Chief International Correspondent was located.
In a televised address early on Thursday morning, Putin said the action came in response to threats coming from Ukraine.
He added that Russia does not have a goal to occupy Ukraine, but said the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian ‘regime’.
Mr Putin also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to ‘consequences they have never seen’.
He accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining Nato and offer Moscow security guarantees.
He said the Russian military operation aims to ensure a ‘demilitarization’ of Ukraine, adding that all Ukrainian servicemen who lay down arms will be able to safely leave the zone of combat.
The announcement came just after airspace over all of Ukraine was shut down to civilian air traffic, and at the same time as an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was taking place.
On Wednesday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional televised address in Russian following the approval of a 30-day state-of-emergency order handed the government sweeping powers in the interest of national security.
‘The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace. But if we come under attack that threatens our freedom and lives of our people we will fight back,’ he said, as he rejected Moscow’s claim Ukraine is a threat to Russia.
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