This week on 60 Minutes, CBS News correspondent Holly Williams profiled Ukrainian war reporter Andriy Tspalienko.
Reporting for Ukrainian news outlet 1+1, Tsaplienko has become a vital source of information and a hero for many Ukrainians— fearlessly pursuing truth on the front lines, sometimes at great risk to his life.
“His story tells you something about the sacrifices that so many Ukrainians are willing to take… to try and save their young democracy,” Williams told 60 Minutes Overtime.
Williams and producer Erin Lyall first met the Ukrainian journalist aboard a U.S. Navy warship in the summer of 2021, six months before Russia’s invasion.
Their reporting focused on the operations of U.S. warships in the Black Sea, who were working with NATO allies to anticipate a potential Russian attack.
Tsaplienko took a different approach to his reporting: he wanted to show Ukrainians what a modern military looks like.
“I felt, myself, that we were [on] the eve of a bigger war,” he told Williams in a 60 Minutes interview.
“My primary task was… to show Ukrainians how people serve in [a] big, normal army,” he told Williams in an interview.
Tsaplienko showed his viewers the sleeping quarters, gym, and cafeteria, that included an ice cream machine, for naval officers on board.
“I tried to find some untraditional angles,” Tspalienko explained.
“And I wanted, myself, to give Ukrainians hope that we are not alone. ‘Look, this is a big American ship with us. They will help us. They will support us.'”
Ruslan Galushchak is a photographer that worked with Tsaplienko when Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
He told Williams that, no matter where they were, people recognized Tsaplienko and wanted to have their picture taken with him.
“He is watched by the entire country and, one might say, the entire world. But at the same time, he is a very simple man,” he said.
“I can say that we have very similar vibrations, similar values in life.”
An experience that brought the two of them closer took place in Chernihiv in 2022.
Russian forces were closing in on the city. Garlushchak, Tsaplienko and a driver were making their way through a narrow humanitarian corridor for the exodus of civilians.
Suddenly, a military officer ran towards them, telling them a drone was spotted and the Russians were going to start shelling.
The team parked their car in a nearby neighborhood and exited the vehicle. That’s when Garlushchak heard a frightening sound: the Russians firing in their direction.
“These were cluster munitions. We were in the epicenter of it all,” Garlushchak told Williams.
Tsaplienko credits Garlushchak for saving his life by telling all of them to hit the ground as soon as he heard the incoming fire.
“He was the first who heard the explosions and yelled, ‘Go down. Everybody, go down,'” Tspalienko said.
“When we fell down, the shrapnel came and punched everything around us.”
After the explosion, a military officer ordered them to take shelter in a nearby cellar and wait out the assault.
While underground, it became apparent that Tsaplienko had been seriously wounded by a piece of shrapnel. He was bleeding profusely, his pants soaked with blood.
“Andriy must have been in some kind of shock, he didn’t understand what had happened to him at first,” Garlushchak said.
“One of the [pieces of] shrapnel went through his leg and came out without hitting important arteries and blood vessels.”
Tsaplienko told Williams he was lucky. If the shrapnel had torn through his leg a few centimeters off, the wound would have been fatal.
The military officer in the cellar was able to apply first aid and stop the bleeding. After the shelling stopped, Garlushchak and the driver rushed Tsaplienko to the nearest hospital.
Despite the serious injury, Tsaplienko and Garlushchak continued their work and delivered a report about the experience to 1+1.
Garlushchak, who is in his 50s, was recently drafted into the military and is a soldier on the front line, driving a Humvee for a combat drone unit.
“That tells you something about how broad the draft is in Ukraine, that someone in his 50s is being drafted,” Williams told Overtime.
“He got special permission to leave his unit, to come and talk to us about his experiences with Andriy.”
Garlushchak was recently part of Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, conducting dangerous missions with his unit in Russian territory.
Tsaplienko told Williams he is deeply worried for his friend’s safety. Recently, Garlushchak was almost killed by a Russian drone.
“He was attacked by [a] Russian FPV drone… he’s alive, miraculously, because the drone didn’t explode in the car [he was in]. [It was] behind the car, just a couple of meters…Russian guys missed, and that’s why Ruslan is still alive.”
Garlushchak told Williams that working with Tsaplienko during the initial months of the invasion was “one of the best periods of my life.”
Tspalienko told Williams that Garlushchak is an “amazing professional.” But the humble photographer refused to accept that compliment.
“I think he has overestimated my skills,” Garlushchak said.
“However, I will repeat that we have similar vibrations. We are like one team.”
The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.
Video courtesy of 1+1 Media, Volodymyr Kliuiev and Mykhailo Mostepan
