One afternoon in March 2014, while reporting on Russia's covert operation to annex Crimea, I saw a familiar silhouette. With his muscular body and shiny shaved head, Pablo González is easy to spot from afar. I met González, a journalist freelance work from the Basque Country, in a training course for reporters working in conflict zones. And we just happen to be in an area that has the risk of being one of them.
González was accompanied by a Ukrainian journalist, who had contacts at the besieged military base I was investigating. He found a way for the three of us to enter. There we found a detachment of Ukrainian marines who were at the limit of their capabilities. Outside, a crowd of local residents shouted pro-Russian slogans, but according to the military, these people were nothing more than a cover for the Russian Army. They expected a visit soon from a Russian general, and agreed that we could leave a tape recorder at the base, to secretly record the conversation.