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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Ukraine Air Raids – Ulianovska
HEAD: 'Alert Fatigue' Is Costing Ukrainians Their Lives
TEASER: After about three to four months of war, Ukrainians were less inclined to use air raid shelters, data show
PUBLISHED: 07/21/2023 at 9:20AM
BYLINE: Mariia Ulianovska
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Ivan Pavlovych
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs, Reifenrath
PRODUCER: Anna Rice
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Reuters;
PLATFORMS: TV only
TRT: 3:12
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE:
((INTRO:))
[[As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on, many Ukrainians are so exhausted that they are ignoring air raid sirens — something experts call "alert fatigue." U.S. scientists say it is contributing to the civilian casualty rate. Maria Ulianovska has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.]]
((NATS))
((Mother))
“Can you say why we’re taking the metro?”
((Boy))
“Because there are rockets flying…”
((NARRATION))
Natalia Fedorchenko and her family live in a house just outside Kyiv. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Fedorchenko — along with her husband and son — evacuated to the western part of the country. But they eventually returned to Kyiv and tried to adapt to life during wartime.
((Natalia Fedorchenko, Kyiv Resident)) ((UKR))
“We have a routine. We get up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, shower, go to work — and take the metro when we hear an air raid siren. It just becomes part of your everyday life.”
((NARRATION))
This has been the norm for many Ukrainians since the war began 17 months ago.
Volunteers with the Air-alarms.in.ua, [[Air Alarms in U-A]] a website that collects and analyzes air raid data, say that from the start of the war to the end of May, Ukrainians heard over 25-thousand air raid sirens... roughly 1,680 per month across the country.
((Bohdan Vasylchuk, Air-alarms.in.ua)) ((Zoom)) ((UKR))
“The closer you are to the Russian and Belarusian borders, the more air raid sirens you hear, and the longer each of them lasts.”
((NARRATION))
Experts have researched the effectiveness of this alarm system. Having analyzed anonymous data from Ukraine cell phones, they could track how locals respond to air raid sirens.
((Mark Polyak, Ipsos President of Analytics)) ((ENG))
“Over time, what we found was that people were going less to the shelters. They were kind of getting used to a daily reality of being bombed and being attacked, which potentially resulted in 10 to 15 percent increase in civilian casualties.”
((NARRATION))
The so-called alert fatigue started affecting Ukrainians about three to four months after the start of the war, researchers say. More people like Natalia Ferdorchenko started staying at home, choosing a relatively safe position between two walls instead of going to the shelter.
((Natalia Fedorchenko, Kyiv Resident)) ((UKR))
“We decided that during missile attacks we take the metro… When the Shaheds [[Iranian drones]] are flying, we just rely on our air defense forces and hope that if some wreckage hits the house, the walls will protect us. So, we take our son here, lie down and wait for the explosions to stop.”
((NARRATION))
The charity United Help Ukraine has purchased toys, games and school supplies for children forced to hide in shelters. Washington-based employees of the consulting firm Deloitte volunteered to pack the gifts for delivery to Ukraine.
For Tetiana Gaghan and many others here, the war is personal.
((Tetiana Gaghan, Deloitte Employee)) ((UKR))
“I have a 15-month-old kid, and I think about Ukrainian children a lot… // We can do a little, but we’ll know even sitting at a shelter they’ll be able to get distracted,
((NARRATION))
According to data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 7,000 civilians in Ukraine have been killed since the beginning of the war.
((For Mariia Ulianovska in Kyiv, Ukraine, Anna Rice, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJuly 21, 2023 09:41 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English