Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has honored journalist Greta Van Susteren for focusing world attention on Russian atrocities in the ongoing war through a recent Newsmax series.
Zelenskyy announced this week that he was awarding her the Order of Merit, III Degree for the in-depth and hard-hitting project, "Putin's Atrocities: Horror in Ukraine," after it aired last week on her nightly Newsmax show, "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
The series offered an unflinching look at the horror inflicted by Russian troops since President Vladimir Putin began an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Spanning five days, the series offered detailed reports, interviews, and sit-downs with notables including America's envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker; former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko; Nathan Sales, former undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights; and other authorities on war crimes, foreign policy, and more.
Much of the mainstream media has focused on weapons and the billions in financial aid given to Ukraine by the global community to fend off Moscow's aggression.
Van Susteren's series, though, took a different tack, exploring the savagery displayed by Putin's forces. Intriguing segments looked at reports of POWs being tortured and executed, alleged war crimes by Moscow, and the Kremlin's campaign of terror against Ukraine's women and children.
Van Susteren, who has visited Ukraine several times to witness the destruction firsthand, was grateful for the honor, and for the chance to tell the important story of the Ukraine war.
"I have been on the ground in Ukraine and seen this war with my own eyes," she said Tuesday. "Once you see it with your own eyes, you can’t turn your back. The world needs to know what is going on … especially the atrocities. This is why I am at Newsmax — the opportunity to do these important stories with great colleagues."
Van Susteren is a highly experienced journalist and breaking news anchor who has traveled the world — including to hotspots like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, North Korea, Sudan, and Ukraine.
A veteran of outlets including MSNBC, CNN and Fox News, she joined Newsmax as host of "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," on June 14. Her show airs weeknights at 6 p.m. ET.
Christopher Ruddy, Newsmax CEO, said that Newsmax was "honored that President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government have recognized our lead news anchor for her work.”
“Greta Van Susteren has proven herself a journalist’s journalist by fearlessly reporting the truth and often going into the field to do so," Ruddy added.
More on the Series
To create the Ukraine project, News Director Chris Wallace worked closely with Newsmax contacts in Ukraine developed over the last seven months to secure access and interviews for the series.
Foreign correspondent Chuck Holton traveled across Ukraine to produce reports and conduct interviews with survivors, family members, and eyewitness to the wide-ranging systematic atrocities Russians have committed.
The list of others honored by Zelenskyy — "for significant personal merits in strengthening interstate cooperation, support of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, significant contribution to the popularization of the Ukrainian state in the world" — included:
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
- National security adviser Jake Sullivan
- Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley (Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise II degree).
- Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Rob Portman, R-Ohio were awarded the Order of Merit, I degree.
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