Ukrainians are free by nature and Russia did not understand this – Anna Nemtsova, The Daily Beast reporter

Ukrainians are by nature very free people, and this is what our anthem stresses: we would give everything for freedom, even our lives. This is something that Anna Nemtsova, a Daily Beast reporter underlines while talking about Ukraine.

“Originally, historically, these people (Ukrainians – Ed) had a horizontal government structure: they did not report to one leader. In other countries, such as Russia, the structure of the government is vertical. It has been vertical for decades and that’s why it’s hard for governments like those in Russia to understand how Ukraine functions politically because of the inherent differences in mentality,” – says Anna who has been reporting on post-Soviet countries for dozens of years.

This is the sixth war that Anna is covering as a journalist. She specifically underlines that the Ukrainians she met did not feel hatred but a fit of righteous anger.

«They are not focusing on hating people, they are focused on doing their job, helping people, moving forward,” says Anna. Her heart breaks knowing that the war is not over and can take more lives. But she is hopeful for Ukraine.