BREAKING: Bette's Happy Hour with Zarina Zabrisky, Tuesday, 1 am Pacific; 4 am Eastern - Reporting from Ukraine
Bette members—please register for a special Happy Hour with filmmaker Zarina Zabrisky, reporting on the ground from Ukraine on her way to screen Kherson: Human Safari at the Munich Security Conference
***Bette members will find the registration links below the paywall. To join our community events and to help support independent investigative journalism in a time of grave peril, please upgrade to a paid membership.***
***BETTE’S HAPPY HOUR WITH ZARINA ZABRISKY AT A VERY SPECIAL TIME: Tuesday, February 10, 1 am Pacific***
Hello to all new and returning members. Thank you for making this work possible.
I am now read in 99 countries, stunning for an independent investigative mother.
I open with that number, because this boutique magazine is now global and that means occasionally our events will be taking place during the wee hours in the US — a small price to pay for boots on the ground reporting from a war zone.
Our guest this week is war correspondent and filmmaker Zarina Zabrisky, who is seen here trying to keep warm under eight blankets and three layers of clothing.
Kherson: Human Safari at the Munich Security Conference
I am thrilled her film, Kherson: Human Safari, has been selected by the MSC Cinema Series at this year’s Munich Security Conference. The film tells the full story of Kherson since Russia’s 2022 invasion: occupation, resistance, liberation, the dam flood, and the ongoing attacks where drones are used to hunt civilians in what locals call a “human safari.” Since its June 2024 release, the film has screened in 23 cities across 10 countries, earned an 8.6 on IMDb, and received endorsements from United24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and members of the US Congress. It was recently screened on Capitol Hill. It’s been covered by Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, Times Radio, and others.
I asked Zarina to offer us a. personal update in advance of our meeting, and here’s what she reported:
The situation in Kherson is deteriorating. Russian artillery now hits the city almost every hour, with strikes increasingly aimed at the historic downtown and architectural landmarks, killing at least one person and injuring up to ten civilians daily. The systematic use of drones to hunt civilians makes clear that international humanitarian law is no longer adequate and urgent legal changes are needed to address this new form of warfare known as the “human safari.”
I am in Odesa on my way to the Munich Security Conference, and the situation here is also dire. Many areas are without electricity for up to twelve hours a day, with no heat and, in some places, no water. Nightly Shahed drone attacks strike central Odesa, including the UNESCO-protected historic district, with daily terror intended to break civilian morale, especially among the elderly, children, and people with disabilities.
At the Munich Security Conference, I will present our documentary Kherson: Human Safari as part of the MSC Cinema series and an official side event, followed by a panel with representatives of the Kherson military administration and the brigade defending the city. I will also raise the draft LORA bill, a proposed legislative framework to establish accountability for operators and responsible authorities behind deliberate drone attacks on civilians, including sanctions, export controls, and international coordination.—Zarina Zabrisky for Bette Dangerous
Thanks in large part to her unyielding efforts to raise global awareness about Kherson, multiple reports by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch have been published designating the hunting of civilians in Kherson as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Many of you are new here, and I invite you to watch the documentary:
I had the distinct honor of being an executive producer on the film, and many Bette members also contributed.
I invite anyone who wants to contribute to the second film in what is now a trilogy to reach out to Zarina directly at khersonhumansafari at gmail. You can also coordinate a screening in your city and get updates on rallies in support of Kherson. And thank you to those of you who already made a contribution to the sequel.
Another note to new members: if you are interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of Russia’s assaults on Ukraine dating back more than a century, please read my reporting with Ukrainian historian Tetiana Boriak:
Looking forward to seeing many of you at our Happy Hour with Zarina — full registration details found below the paywall. We are taking a breather from our Sunday Speakeasy series, while I cue up new talent and carve out time to work on print reports from our recent Speakeasys with Craig Unger. Standby please.
More about Zarina Zabrisky:
An award-winning author of five books, Zarina Zabrisky is a U.S. journalist reporting from the frontlines in Ukraine as a war correspondent for Byline Times (UK). She has contributed to BBC News, CBC Radio, Voice of America, TVP World, The Sunday Post, Times of India, and more. In 2023, she co-produced and starred in the award-winning documentary Under the Deadly Skies, exposing Russian war crimes. Her literary work has appeared in The Paris Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Longreads, Guernica, Rumpus, and other publications, earning honors such as the 2013 Acker Award. She is a member of Pen America. Born in the USSR and having spent most of her life in San Francisco, she moved to Ukraine following the full-scale Russian invasion. Her latest film, Kherson: Human Safari, is screening globally and can be viewed here.
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Please keep scrolling below the paywall for the registration link.
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