Azad Safarov (born 1985/1986) is a Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker. He is a producer for Sky News and co-founder of charity organization Voices of Children.
Early life and education
Safarov was born in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, Azerbaijan, and, in 1994, moved to
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...
, Ukraine with his mother at age 8. His father had moved to Donetsk before them, in order to set up a business. The family lived in Donetsk for the next 15 years, and Safarov learned both Ukrainian and Russian. Safarov was bullied by other children for being an immigrant and for his skin color, so he often spent time alone in public libraries or working with his father to sell products. As a child, Safarov was interested in becoming a filmmaker, but his mother encouraged him to become a journalist, because she thought it was a peaceful job. His father encouraged him to learn Azerbaijani dances. He was 13 when his father died from stress-induced heart disease.
Safarov attended university, graduating in 2007 with a degree in journalism.
Career
After graduating university, Safarov moved to
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, where he lived in a
communal apartment
Communal apartments (, colloquial: ''kommunalka'') are apartments in which several unrelated persons or families live in isolated living rooms and share common areas such a kitchen, shower, and toilet. When the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917 aft ...
and interned at the
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...
. Shortly afterwards, he got a job working for print media, and then his first journalistic job working for
5 Kanal
5 Kanal () is a television station in Ukraine formerly owned by businessman and fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. He covered the
Euromaidan
Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...
protests in November 2013. While doing so, he was beaten on camera by then-President Viktor Yanukovych's
riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...
. As a freelance journalist, Safarov has worked with
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, and
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of ...
. He also worked for
Deutsche Welle
(; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
in Germany for five years. In 2014, he began visiting Donetsk as a 5 Kanal reporter. In 2023, Safarov's Sky News team won the International Emmy for Best News for their coverage of the March 2022 battles for Bucha and
Irpin
Irpin (, ) is a city on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located next to the capital Kyiv. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city has a population o ...
.
From 2015 until 2017, Safarov was an assistant producer on the documentary film '' The Distant Barking of Dogs''. While filming in Donbas, Safarov worked under a pseudonym for his safety.
In 2019, Safarov co-founded the organization Voices of Children with fellow Ukrainian Olena Rozvadovska. At the same time, he was working as a line producer and assistant director for the documentary ''
A House Made of Splinters
''A House Made of Splinters'' () is a 2022 documentary film by the Danish film director Simon Lereng Wilmont, created with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affairs. An international co-production with Denmark, Ukraine, Sweden ...