Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, an American transgender journalist in Kharkiv, speaks about her seven months in Kharkiv, the role of a journalist during this war, and what every American can do to help Ukraine. A freelance journalist from Nevada based in Ukraine, Ashton-Cirillo covers Russia-Ukraine War and Las Vegas and Nevada Politics and News, as well as LGBTQ and Transgender Issues. Her work has appeared in LGBTQ Nation, The New Voice of Ukraine, The Nevada Independent, Gay Sonoma.
I arrived in the country on March 4, with a return plane ticket on March 21. There was no intention to stay. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I would travel to Ukraine from the EU due to some significant issues with my documents, specifically my passport, and my gender transition. I was stunned by the professionalism of the security services on the train. Here it was during the first days of the war and a transgender journalist was coming into the country with mismatched documents and yet after a thorough inspection of both my paperwork and my physical body, they let me stay on the train, without ridicule, scorn, or judgment and that was an astonishing revelation. That was the first indicator to me that this was a nation that championed individual freedom and true liberty.
My role is unique, it’s moved from an unbiased observer to a more active participant and that’s okay. We all make choices in journalism and as writers. Where is the line? For me, the line was seeing suffering at the border regions between Kharkiv Oblast and Russia.
I’ve done volunteer work for the military and police. I’m an appointed representative for Zolochiv Territorial District in northern Kharkiv Oblast, I assist the team at the Kharkiv Media Hub, and I’m also engaged in several other areas of Ukraine’s defense of liberal democracy against Russian fascism. That said the role of my colleagues doesn’t have to be the same.
The media’s role is clear. Report the truth. Report the facts. In my view, this means covering Ukraine with a discerning eye while never reporting the Russian view of any story. Russia, and the Russian version of this war, is based on lies, falsehoods, and empty promises. Russia is the media world’s most discredited source, a source that doesn’t deserve the time of any credible journalist.
People ask how, as an unbiased journalist, I can be so critical of Russia.
It's not because of my time spent in the Baltics, including writing a novel in Latvia & becoming a digital resident of Estonia, where I saw the Russian threat daily.
It's because #putinisawarcriminal pic.twitter.com/YgVkOaQoY8
— Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (@SarahAshtonLV) March 10, 2022
The foreign press too often attempts to soak up the carnage and profit off the pain of the war vs. taking on a more holistic approach to this battle for liberty and democracy. I work with the Kharkiv Media Center and it infuriates me when someone comes in, and this has happened more than once and says “take me to the front,” then when you ask what else are they interested in covering they don’t have an answer.
I’m very proud however of the hardworking reporters, from both legacy media and the myriad of talented freelancers who find sources, dig for stories, and are proof of why free speech must be protected.
The challenges include what every resident of Kharkiv has faced since the war began. Daily barrages of unfettered terrorism, terrorism that has forced me to witness more deaths than I could have comprehended, lack of basic utilities on occasion, I was without water and electricity numerous times, and the knowledge that we are dealing with an illegitimate regime led by a war criminal, who could launch a nuclear strike at any time. When added up, these are all challenges that make you understand what this fight is for and why humanity and goodness matter.
#VPDFO Day 1
The trans the Kremlin hates the most @SarahAshtonLV
on her darkest moment of the war so far… pic.twitter.com/37NcxOikAf— John Sweeney (@johnsweeneyroar) October 9, 2022
