International correspondent Sergei Loiko reflects on his time inside the Donetsk airport during the height of the fighting — a rare vantage point that later shaped his novel Aeroport. This 2016 interview captures how the battle was understood before the English translation appeared and before the full‑scale invasion reshaped global awareness. A clear, unfiltered snapshot of the early phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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In January 2016, international correspondent Sergei Loiko joined Nash Holos for a conversation shaped by his rare firsthand experience inside the Donetsk airport during the height of the fighting. Loiko was the only foreign journalist to spend several days embedded with the Ukrainian defenders known as the Cyborgs — access that later informed his novel Aeroport, published in Ukrainian and Russian in 2016.
This interview was recorded the day after his Ottawa presentation marking the release of those original editions. At the time, no English version existed; the translation would not appear until 2018, under the title Airport.
Re‑released now to provide historical context on the early phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the discussion offers a clear, unfiltered snapshot of how the battle was understood at the time — before the full‑scale invasion and before Loiko’s novel reached an international readership. His reflections on the soldiers, the siege, and the human cost of the conflict remain strikingly relevant.
Coming soon on Knyzhka Corner:
A review of the 2018 English translation of Airport.
Full transcript at the Nash Holos website here.
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