N1 TV reporter in Croatia, Ana Mlinaric, spent the first days of the war in Ukraine, reporting as attacks took place near her and other TV crews.

Her team returned on Monday. Mlinaric said everything went well and that team is glad to be back home safely. She said that she did not hesitate to go to Ukraine, as a reporter used to work in emergency situations, and she noted that this was a situation where she had the chance to help someone directly.

“We flew to Kyiv the night before the war began and it was immediately obvious that the atmosphere was unusual. Journalist teams arrived at the Kyiv airport, but there were very few civilians. There was a feeling in the air that things were not normal,” she said.

“We went to sleep late, and at 5 o’clock we were awakened by the sound of explosions. I took my mobile phone and saw Putin’s speech in which he declared war on Ukraine,” she added. Mlinaric pointed out that war was something she knew about from childhood and that she could imagine how people in Ukraine must have felt.

Still, the experience had an impact, she said.

“I did not feel excessive fear. There was a situation when I got scared, and that was the evacuation situation. We often spoke about how people in Sarajevo survived four years in shelters. So, if you come into such a situation mentally prepared, you can keep a cool head, unless you really feel that your life is endangered,” she said.

She said there were some situations when she thought her life is in danger. “I tried not to think about it, but simply to pull myself out of it and continue,” she said.

On their way home, the N1 team also transported people with children to the border with Poland in their van. Mlinaric said Ukrainians generally seemed extremely grateful to the TV crews because of their reporting.