Ukraine war: Filmmaker livestreams moment missile flies over his head

Warning: This video contains graphic language

Words by Emily Lefroy

An Australian photojournalist has captured the moment a missile flew over his head in Kramatorsk, Ukraine during a livestream.

"Oh f**k that's a missile, that's a f**king missile," photojournalist and documentary maker Bryce Wilson says in the video, panning to the object flying through the sky.

"Holy s**t. We better get inside".

Mr Wilson, from Melbourne, had been livestreaming to Instagram in the moments after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"There's [cruise] missiles flying above the f**king city right now," he said while running. "There's been an impact in the distance."

"Holy f**king s**t," he says again, as faint explosions can be heard in the background saying he can see fighter jets and smoke. "The Russian military is bombing Kramatorsk."

He also showed a mushroom cloud that had developed after the explosion in the direction the missile had been travelling.

Warning: This video contains graphic language

'Hypersonic missiles are being used to attack Kramatorsk': Bryce Wilson

The journalist filmed himself talking as he walked along the street with a colleague, occasionally panning to show his surroundings showing a largely bare street and occasionally exchanging passing pleasantries with Ukrainian people.

"Kramatorsk is being attacked," he tweeted.

In a follow-up livestream on Instagram, Mr Wilson filmed himself wearing armour and walking through Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine heading towards a bomb shelter with some fellow journalists.

Mr Wilson says he is in Ukraine voluntarily and has been working in and out of the country for several years.

"I can't believe this is happening," he said in disbelief.

Mr Wilson said in the livestream he would try and make it back to Kyiv.

"People legitimately don't think this is happening," he said, panning across the eerily quiet street. "This country is being attacked".

Putin orders Russia to attack

The UK and Western allies have condemned Putin after the Russian President ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and called on it to "lay down" its arms.

Boris Johnson – whose initial package of sanctions was criticised by senior Tories and opposition figures – has promised to respond “decisively” to the Russian onslaught.

“I am appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and I have spoken to President Zelensky to discuss next steps,” he said. “President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

“The UK and our allies will respond decisively."

Putin announced the action during a televised address early on Thursday morning, saying the move was a response to threats from Ukraine.

He said Russia does not have a goal to occupy Ukraine, but the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”.

Russia’s military said it has targeted Ukrainian air bases and other military assets and has not targeted populated areas.