Interview with Wehrschütz

“I’m skeptical that I’ll live to see the end of the war”

ORF man Christian Wehrschütz in front of the Maidan in Kiev

(Bild: ORF)

ORF Kiev man Christian Wehrschütz (62) on the mood in Ukraine after two years of war, President Selenskyj's chances of re-election, personal sanctions and whether he doesn't want to become foreign minister himself.

"Krone": Russia invaded Ukraine exactly two years ago. How did you experience the moment?
Christian Wehrschütz: I had already been there for a month at the time because I had been forewarned since an interview with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in December 2021. He had met President Putin shortly before that. When I asked him about joint NATO exercises, he replied: "Dear Mr. Christian, I'm afraid Ukraine won't have time for a single exercise." The only question left for me was: will it be another minor conflict in the Donbas or a full-scale war? My team and I were sleeping in Mariupol on the night of February 24 when the call came at 4 am: The war has begun! We went back to Kiev immediately because I knew that Mariupol would become a cauldron and that the decision could be made in Kiev.

How did these two years change you? You narrowly escaped several explosions and blasts during that time.
Of course, none of that leaves you unscathed. But I was brought up that way: What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. And my military training also helps me. It was even harder for my family. Because even though they were used to a lot because of the war in Yugoslavia, North Macedonia etc., this was yet another category.