German ZDF journalist filmed a report in temporarily occupied Mariupol, where he distorted the picture of city life
Mariupol, Ukraine (Svidomi) — Armin Körper, a journalist for the German public broadcaster ZDF, travelled to the temporarily occupied Mariupol and filmed a story about life in the city. In this report, he describes the "rebuilding" of the city and does not focus on who destroyed it, the Ukrainian edition of the European Pravda reports.
Armin Körper is the head of the channel's office in Moscow. In his report, the journalist expresses the opinion that most residents of the city, which has been under Russian occupation for almost two years, are pro-Russian. He also says that the city is being rebuilt without emphasising the fact that Russian troops destroyed it in the early spring of 2022.
Körper says that Mariupol is not a ghost town.
According to the video, before the Russian occupation, performances in the Mariupol Drama Theatre (which was bombed by Russians on March 16, 2022, and where 300,000 to 600,000 people died) were banned in the Russian language, but "now the situation has changed".
He said that "the city is functioning; shops and restaurants are open". In addition, the ZDF journalist added, "There is heating, hot water and the internet." Russians are settling in the city.
The journalist also said that "the city needs people" to "get the economy back on track again".
At the same time, ZDF noted in its report that Körper "chose the ambiguous phrase 'the city is functioning'", assuring that "highlighting this quote alone gives only a brief idea of the reporter's impression".
"Instead, Armin Körper describes how Russia is trying to create the impression of normalcy and reconstruction with the help of significant financial resources," the article says.
ZDF also says that in his report from Ukraine, he "left no doubt" that Mariupol is a territory illegally occupied by Russia and who is the aggressor and victim in this war.
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makieiev, said that the story had provoked a strongly negative reaction among many German experts and journalists he knew, including Mr Körper's colleagues at ZDF.
According to Makieiev, the German journalist's colleagues called the story a "disaster".
"The Embassy immediately sent a letter to the newspaper about the inadmissibility of such stories, and we have already received a response acknowledging the mistake and assuring us of respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Makieiev said.
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the German TV channel ZDF to explain its reporter's trip to the occupied Mariupol without Ukraine's consent.
Spokesperson Nikolenko stressed that "distortion of reality" cannot be considered journalistic work and that the head of ZDF's office in Moscow did not receive consent from Kyiv to travel to Mariupol, which violates Ukrainian law.
According to Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, there is no electricity supply, problems with mould and mud on the streets, and problems with electricity and water supply in the occupied city. Local residents cannot receive pensions and salaries from the so-called 'authorities', and food prices in the city are overstated.
