INISDE THE HOSPITALS THAT CONCEALED RUSSIAN CASUALTIES
CNN SPECIAL REPORT
Vilnius, Lithuania — As his daughters dozed off in the back seat, his wife filmed him driving, eyes narrowed, focused on the dark road ahead. Andrei, a doctor, had been plotting their escape from Belarus since 2020, when the Kremlin-backed regime cracked down on a popular uprising, sending the country spiraling deeper into authoritarian rule and engulfing it in a climate of fear.
When Russia launched its assault on Ukraine from Belarus’ southern doorstep, getting out suddenly felt more urgent. His family watched from the windows of their apartment block as helicopters and missiles thundered through the sky. Within days, Andrei — whose name has been changed for his safety — said he found himself being forced to treat Russian soldiers injured in Moscow’s botched assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Then, at the end of March, he was jailed on trumped-up corruption charges. After his release in May, and carefully weighing the risks, he decided it was time to leave.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
︎ Official Website
When Russia launched its assault on Ukraine from Belarus’ southern doorstep, getting out suddenly felt more urgent. His family watched from the windows of their apartment block as helicopters and missiles thundered through the sky. Within days, Andrei — whose name has been changed for his safety — said he found himself being forced to treat Russian soldiers injured in Moscow’s botched assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Then, at the end of March, he was jailed on trumped-up corruption charges. After his release in May, and carefully weighing the risks, he decided it was time to leave.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
︎ Official Website
CREDITS
Writer: Eliza Mackintosh
Reporters: Eliza Mackintosh, Sebastian Shukla
Visual editor: Sarah-Grace Mankarious
Development: Marco Chacón
Animation: Taylor Su
Animation art director: Elisa Solinas
Correspondent: Melissa Bell
Video journalist: Mark Esplin
Video editor: Oscar Featherstone
Video producer: Vasco Cotovio
Editors: Laura Smith-Spark, Nancy Leung
Translator: Josh Pennington
Contributing reporters: Jennifer Hansler, Gianluca Mezzofiore
Researcher: Danya Gainor
Writer: Eliza Mackintosh
Reporters: Eliza Mackintosh, Sebastian Shukla
Visual editor: Sarah-Grace Mankarious
Development: Marco Chacón
Animation: Taylor Su
Animation art director: Elisa Solinas
Correspondent: Melissa Bell
Video journalist: Mark Esplin
Video editor: Oscar Featherstone
Video producer: Vasco Cotovio
Editors: Laura Smith-Spark, Nancy Leung
Translator: Josh Pennington
Contributing reporters: Jennifer Hansler, Gianluca Mezzofiore
Researcher: Danya Gainor
