John Lyons – A Bunker in Kyiv

In conversation with Hugh Riminton and Vasyl Myroshnychenko

The first book written in Australia on the Ukraine War, by ABC’s Global Affairs Editor, John Lyons, based on his reporting from the frontlines.

By daytime, Ukraine is a sophisticated European country going about its business, and Kyiv seems like an enchanting city. But by night, the sirens roar, and the war begins. Ukraine is using the amount of ammunition that all of Europe produces in one day, and yet on the surface, much of the country appears to be going about its business as usual.

This is a very different book as this is a very different war: One fought by a huge army of civilians, from old punk rockers to university professors and Coca Cola brand managers who are working behind the scenes to outwit the Russian army. The real story of this war is how a nation of 44 million people has marshalled to fend off an enemy much bigger and more daunting than them.

Instead of focusing on the geopolitics or strategy of war, Lyons explores the everyday resilient civilians who are taking part in it. It is about survival, not soldiers, and in it Lyons tells us a hopeful story about humanity in the darkest of times.

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John Lyons is one of Australia’s leading journalists. A four-time Walkley winner, John is currently the Global Affairs Editor of the ABC. John has previously been the Associate Editor (Digital Content) at The Australian and the Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Executive Producer of the Nine Network’s Sunday program and Head of Current Affairs and Investigations at the ABC.

For six years he was The Australian‘s Middle East correspondent, based in Jerusalem with his wife, Sylvie Le Clezio, and son, Jack. While in Jerusalem he and Sylvie won three United Nations Human Rights Awards, and a Walkley for their contribution to ‘Stone Cold Justice’, a special investigative report for ABC TV’s Four Corners on the children of the West Bank. John has also won the Graham Perkin Award for the Australian Journalist of the Year.

Hugh Riminton is an awardwinning journalist, humanitarian, news presenter and foreign correspondent of many year’s experience. Currently a senior reporter for Network Ten, Hugh has been a foreign correspondent for CNN and the Nine Network and the political editor at Channel Ten. He is a foundation board member of Soldier On, which supports Australian Defence personnel, and a foundation board member of the John Mac Foundation.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko resumed the functions of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia on April 1, 2022. Before that, he served as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Institute, a cultural diplomacy outfit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service in March 2022, he was an active business and civil society leader for two decades. He was a Chevening Scholar and earned MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also holds a degree in international relations from Institute of International Relations, Kyiv National Shevchenko University. 

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