The group normally started a 30-minute drive to a Ukrainian checkpoint in a city on the outskirts of Kiev, but eventually returned for security reasons. “We felt that the intensity of the fighting was somehow rising,” van Heerden said. “We started to feel a little uncomfortable and we made the decision.” Ramsay noted that the battlefield is constantly changing – roads that were safe one day may not be safe the next. The group found itself surrounded by battles on three sides – the path they chose to take did not “look great”, but was their only choice. The shootings then intensified. “It felt like I was in a washing machine with a ball,” van Heerden said. “Of course the car did not turn, but the bullets were everywhere.” Journalists tried to cover themselves in the car, but bullets pierced the vehicle. “I was absolutely convinced I was going to die,” Ramsay said. “I did not think there was a chance that he would continue to lose the number of shots fired into this car.” Ramsay was in cars that had been shot in the past. But he said that was different – the bullets “hit the car a little bit”. Ramsay was eventually hit and said he fell 20 to 30 feet on his head, most likely shaking. There was an entry wound in the upper part of his leg and the bullet came out of the lower part of his back. “It did not hurt as much as I thought, but I’m sure this is the adrenaline rush,” Ramsay said. Van Heerden said Ramsay showed zero signs of slowing down. “Stewart was extremely calm, impressively restrained,” said van Heerden. “Considering that he had just been shot and considering that we all just had this horrible experience.” Journalists found cover and were stuck in the garage for up to four hours as the fights raged outside. “I have no idea what’s going on,” Ramsay said. “And I have no idea if anyone will be able to come and save us and we are now in the front line.” For van Heerden, the scariest time was spent in the garage. “We were very seated ducks and we felt completely out of our hands,” van Heerden said. “Once we have survived the first round, will we make it to the second round?” Their extraction was “miraculous”, Ramsay said, as soon as they heard the sound of Ukrainian police climbing the stairs of the building. “The reason we always showed this story was because it happens all the time to ordinary people,” Ramsay said. “There is nothing extraordinary about the attack on us.” The Sky News team was lucky – they did it. Veteran cameraman and Ukrainian journalist Pierre Zakrzewski was killed while reporting for Fox News in March. And dealing with this loss has the hardest part of the recovery for van Heerden. “That first week or so was the joy of living,” van Heerden said. “But when you hear about your colleagues being killed and it brings you home how lucky we were. And then it makes you wonder why. “ Ramsay, who was a good friend of Zakrzewski, could not answer. “I’m sorry. I can not go there,” an excited Ramsay told Stelter. “Sorry.”
