Svitlana Morenets

Svitlana Morenets, now a much-followed war reporter, came to the UK just over a year ago as a Ukrainian refugee, with English as her second language. Her insider perspective allows her to provide the kind of clear-eyed (not to mention brilliantly-written) insights on the conflict in Ukraine that may elude even the most seasoned foreign correspondent. 

She warned of the dangers of Ukraine’s much-hyped ‘spring counter-offensive’ last year in a way that might have felt uncomfortable to non-Ukrainian reporters: “Some in the Ukrainian government have been too busy advertising the counter-offensive rather than preparing for it, and ensuring that every soldier has whatever they need.” 

An investigation into the corruption and bureaucracy dogging the delivery of life-saving medical supplies to wounded front-line soldiers, researched from an embedded position with a volunteer medical battalion, was similarly challenging. “Soldiers are dying in their hundreds or even thousands due to poor medical provision. The problem is being ignored by the military hierarchy,” she wrote, adding that Kyiv’s refusal to reveal the numbers of those killed and maimed “prevents scrutiny.” 

Wearing her personal connection to the war lightly, Morenets “adds a much-needed voice to the often-formulaic coverage of events in Ukraine,” said the judges.