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ATTACKS ON MEDIA WORKERS IN UKRAINE IN 2024

REPORT

ANNEXES

AUTHOR OF THE REPORT: NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE

PHOTO: The editorial office of the local newspaper “Vorskla” (Sumy region, frontline territories), was damaged as a result of Russian airstrikes. Photographer: Alexey Pasyuga

1/ KEY FINDINGS

In Ukraine, 121 attacks/threats against professional and civil media workers, editorial offices of traditional and online media outlets were identified and analysed in the course of the study for 2024. Data for the study was collected using content analysis from open sources in three languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English. A list of the main sources is provided in Annex 1. To verify the cases and further categorise them, we also used data from a professional survey conducted by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine with more than 100 respondents, among whom were injured media workers, relatives and colleagues of injured/killed journalists.

  1. In 2024, there was a significant increase in the number of attacks on media representatives — 121 recorded incidents compared to 89 in 2023. At the same time, the overall situation remains more stable compared to 2022, when 277 incidents were recorded.
  2. In 2024, the death of two journalists was recorded: the security adviser of the Reuters film crew, Ryan Evans, was killed in a Russian missile attack on a hotel in Kramatorsk, and Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina died in Russian captivity; the cause of her death is still unclear. In total, 111 media workers have died since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 18 of whom were killed while performing their professional duties.
  3. Russian forces continued their “double strike” tactics against journalists working in war zones. This is a tactic of hitting the same target again after rescuers arrive and journalists turn up there to report on the initial attack. As a result of such attacks in 2024, at least seven journalists sustained injuries, some serious.
  4. The main reason behind the increase in the number of attacks was the resumption of massive cyber and DDoS attacks on Ukrainian media (at least 40 cases), as well as an increase in the number of targeted attacks by the Russian army in the frontline regions.
  5. Most Ukrainian media, especially regional media, continue to work in extremely difficult conditions: staff receive minimum pay (or sometimes no pay at all); their premises may be destroyed (there were ten confirmed cases of buildings housing media offices being destroyed in 2024); as well as significant staff reductions.

It is worth noting that not all information about threats and attacks of various types becomes public, primarily because a significant part of the country remains under occupation.

2/ THE POLITICAL SITUATION AND THE MEDIA IN UKRAINE

According to the 2024 annual Press Freedom Index published by the international NGO, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Ukraine was ranked number 61 out of 180 countries, improving its position by 18 places compared to 2023. This continues the positive trend of 2023, when the country moved up 27 places.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which has been going on for three years, is causing irreparable damage to the whole of Ukrainian society, including the media. Most Ukrainian media, especially the regional outlets, continue to operate in a severely reduced way.

There is a significant exodus of qualified journalists from the Ukrainian media. Many are forced to give up journalism in favour of other fields of activity with a higher income or are forced to move to other regions or even go abroad and settle there. In addition, more and more men are being mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and cannot continue their work in media.

According to a survey by the international organization, Internews Network, in 2024 the consumption of news on social media increased, while the use of news sites on the Internet decreased. Receiving news on TV, radio and the printed press remained at the same level as 2023. Forty-six percent of Ukrainians get their news from multiple sources, while 52% use social media as their only source.

3/ GENERAL ANALYSIS OF ATTACKS

The events of 2022 have radically changed the lives of media workers in Ukraine. When the war was launched on 24 February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian journalists became “frontline” correspondents. The war in Ukraine has also brought many foreign journalists to the country to cover the situation.

According to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, at least 111 media workers (both Ukrainian and foreign) have died since the full-scale invasion: 18 people were killed while performing their professional duties, nine died as a result of collateral damage and at least 84 while serving in the armed forces.

Compared to 2023, 2024 was a more intense year for media workers in Ukraine, when the total number of incidents was a record low for the entire observation period – 89. However, the situation is more stable compared to 2022, when 277 attacks were recorded. 

The main reason behind the increase in the number of incidents was the resumption of cyber and DDoS attacks on the Ukrainian media, as well as mass anonymous bomb threats. These types of attacks were widespread in 2022. Most experts believe that taking into account indirect factors, such attacks are being carried out on the orders of the Russian authorities.

After the seizure of Ukrainian territories by the Russian military, media workers in the occupied regions became one of the most targeted groups: many were persecuted, unlawfully arrested and there were cases of journalists simply disappearing. The occupation authorities use physical and psychological pressure to force journalists to cooperate. In some cases, after journalists left the occupied areas, their loved ones have still been subjected to repression.

4/ RUSSIA’S WAR CRIMES AGAINST MEDIA WORKERS, COMMITTED IN THE CONTROLLED TERRITORIES OF UKRAINE SINCE 24/02/2022

The level of crimes committed by the Russian army against media workers amounted to 47 incidents against 42 in 2023.

It is worth noting that working conditions for journalists on the frontline have become much more difficult than a year earlier. Russian troops openly attack members of the press who arrive in frontline regions to cover events. At the same time, journalists are at risk of being attacked not only near the battlefield, but also in hotels and cafes in these areas.

It would appear that approximately the similar level of incidents in 2023 and 2024 was due not to a decrease in attacks by the Russian military, but because of better compliance with safety standards by journalists themselves.

5/ PHYSICAL ATTACKS AND THREATS TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND HEALTH

There were 27 physical attacks and threats to life, liberty and health coming from the Russian armed forces recorded in 2024. Two journalists died:

  • A group of Reuters journalists were injured as a result of a targeted Russian missile attack on the Sapphire Hotel in the city of Kramatorsk (Donetsk region). On August 25, the body of Ryan Evans, the security adviser of the Reuters film crew, was recovered from the rubble. Two other foreign journalists – Dan Peleshchuk (USA) and Viktor Sayenko (Latvia) – sustained injuries that required short-term treatment. Ivan Lyubish-Kirdey (Ukraine) was seriously injured. After the incident, he was in a coma, and is now undergoing long-term treatment and rehabilitation.
  • In October, it became known that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina had died in Russian captivity. She was detained by Russian troops in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region in 2023. For a long time, the only information about herwas that she was in captivity. Later, her release was agreed as part of an agreed exchange of prisoners. However, on 2 October the Russian Ministry of Defense informed Roshchina’s father that she had died on 19 September 2024. The circumstances of her death still remain unknown, and her body has not yet been returned to Ukraine.

Of the incidents recorded, at least 24 attacks involved attempted murder and/or non-fatal assaults with a firearm. Russian troops are actively using the most insidious tactics, such as “double strikes” – repeated attacks on previously shelled sites, when many rescuers and journalists have arrived to assess the damage caused by the first strike and report what has happened.

  • On the evening of 23 January, journalist Anna Myasnikova witnessed a missile attack on Kharkiv. She informed her office about this and went to the scene to report. Shortly after she arrived there, there was a second strike on the same spot. Myasnilova sustained a serious shrapnel injury to her foot.
  • Journalist Viktor Pichugin was injured as a result of a massive Russian drone attack on Kharkiv on the night of 4 April. Russians struck again at the same residential area, where rescuers and the press were already in attendance. The journalist received a concussion. According to him, he was saved by wearing bulletproof vest and a helmet. On the same night, Kharkiv journalist Yulia Boyko, who had quickly gone to the site of the initial bombing and began recording the events, received a concussion when Russian drones struck the same place 10-15 minutes after the first attack.
  • On 5 April, correspondents Kira Oves (1+1 TV channel) and Olga Zvonareva (Ukrinform News Agency) were covering the aftermath of a Russian missile strike at a civilian facility in Zaporizhzhia. During the second attack at the same spot, Oves received cuts to her head, and Zvonareva suffered injuries to her hip, stomach and wrists. Zvonareva spent a long time in hospital in a serious condition, and is now undergoing rehabilitation.

The Russian military also targeted journalists who work in the frontline areas, covering military developments and the activities of humanitarian organizations:

  • On 17 January, a Radio Liberty film crew came under targeted mortar fire while filming a story at the frontline. Journalist Dmitry Yevchin received a shrapnel wound in his leg and was evacuated for surgery. Cameraman Nikita Isayko was not injured. Ukrainian military are convinced that Russian troops must have seen the bright PRESS signs on the bulletproof vests of the journalists while aiming artillery fire using drones (UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles).
  • On 19 July, photographers Olga Kovaleva and Vladislav Krasnoshchek were embedded closely with Ukrainian artillerymen, reporting on the way they operate, when Russian forces struck the dugout with the journalists and servicemen inside. As a result, Kovaleva received shrapnel wounds to her body and arm, as well as a fractured rib cage; Krasnoshchek received a concussion.
  • On 30 August, the film crew of the 1+1 TV channel – journalist Alexander Motorny, cameraman Daniil Lisenko and driver Oleg Mostovoy – came under attack by a Russian FPV drone[i] while working on a story about the evacuation of the civilian population. Fortunately, the driver spotted the approaching drone and reacted quicky, driving the crew to safety. No one was injured.
  • On 10 October, a Radio Liberty crew was filming the work of Ukrainian FPV drone operators when the Russian military shelled the Ukrainian positions with cannon artillery. As a result of the attack, Roman Pagulich received a concussion: one of the shell fragments was stopped by his body armour almost hitting his neck.
  • On 25 November, Hromadske.ua journalist Ksenia Savoskina and cameraman Alexei Nikulin came under a targeted Russian attack by FPV drones in the Kharkiv region while filming a story about volunteers. Hearing the sound of the approaching drone, they managed to hide and remain unhurt, but their vehicle was destroyed.

According to verified data from the NUJU, (National Union of Journalists of Ukraine), as of 14 January 2025, at least 30 civilian media workers, including Crimean citizen journalists, remain in Russian captivity. Incidents reported in 2024 include:

  • On 7 March, Russian security forces operating in the temporarily-occupied Kherson region, detained the former editor-in-chief of the local online media outlet “New Visit“, Gennady Osmak. He was detained for “participation in an illegal military group” and faces 15 years in prison. Although the media outlet ceased its work in March 2022 because of the occupation, Osmak was detained for his journalistic activities in the past.
  • On 27 June, the editor of the “Kakhovskaya Zarya” (Kakhovskaya Dawn) newspaper, Zhanna Kiseleva, was abducted by Russian occupation forces in Kherson region, and until now her whereabouts and fate remain unknown. This was not the first time Kiseleva was taken by the Russian military: she was detained in September 2022 and held captive for almost a month. The newspaper she was working for ceased publication immediately after the city of Kakhovka came under occupation.
  • On 6 August, “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF) published an investigation into the detention of the creator of the local Telegram channel, Evgeniy Ilchenko, in occupied Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia region). The investigation states that IIchenko was arrested on 10 July, 2022 and charged with “terrorism”. In his letters to his family sent from prison he wrote that he was being tortured with a stun gun and sometimes taken to the woods at night for a simulated execution. According to RSF, it is very likely that Ilchenko is now being held in the Russian city of Taganrog.

6/ NON-PHYSICAL AND/OR CYBER-ATTACKS AND THREATS

In this category, attacks targeted to damage the offices and premises of various media outlets remain the most common, with at least ten such incidents recorded in 2024:

  • On 2 January, as a result of the massive Russian shelling of Kyiv, the windows and doors in the office building of Radio NV were damaged.
  • On 14 March, the editorial office of the local newspaper “Vorskla” in Sumy region was damaged for the third time as a result of air strikes. The blast wave destroyed windows, balconies and the roof of the building. The same office had been shelled on 16 February.
  • During a massive rocket attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on 5 April, the office of the Ria-Pivden was damaged. The whole team had been forced to move to Zaporizhzhia because of the occupation of Melitopol, the media outlet’s home base.
  • On 24 April, the editorial office of the local newspaper “Zarya” (Kharkiv region) was shelled by Russian artillery for the third time. This occurred at night, when no one was in the building. According to the editor-in-chief, the damage to the building makes it impossible to continue to work there; and repairing it makes no sense because of the constant shelling of the city.
  • On 9 September, the office of the local newspaper “Ridne misto” (“Hometown”) in Mirnograd (Donetsk region) was significantly damaged by constant shelling of the town.
  • On 16 September, a missile strike destroyed the building where the office of the regional TV channel “Kapri” (Donetsk region) was based. Due to the deteriorating situation at the front, the TV channel’s staff and most of their equipment were evacuated to the Dnipropetrovsk region.
  • On 17 September, the transmitters of the “Hromadske Radio” station were damaged during shelling of the city of Pokrovsk (Donetsk region) by Russian forces. Broadcasting had to cease, as repairs were not possible due to the ongoing situation.
  • On the evening of 20 September, the Russian military shelled an educational institution in Dnipro. As a result of the attack, the Dnipro branch of the National Public Television and Radio Company, located nearby, was damaged. Staff were unhurt.
  • On 12 October, as a result of a night missile attack on Zaporizhzhiya, the editorial office and computer system of the newspaper “Voice of Gulyaipillya” were seriously damaged. The newspaper was established in the town of Gulyaipillya, but was forced to relocate to Zaporizhzhiya back in March 2022.

Also in 2024, it was confirmed that the “Medvezhyi Ozyora” (“Bear Lakes”) space communications centre located in the Moscow region (Russia) was jamming the television and radio broadcasting signal on the Astra satellite. The attack which lasted for an hour, resulted in the suspension of the satellite transmission of the TV channels Suspilne.Sport, Suspilne.News, Suspilne.Crimea, Suspilne.Culture and the First TV channel, as well as two radio channels “Ukrainian Radio” and “Radio Culture”.

In 2024, Ukrainian media faced an intense wave of cyber/DDoS attacks and hacking of profiles and websites (41 incidents). It is impossible to accurately identify who was behind the attacks, but given their nature and their connection to the military and political situation, there are reasons to suggest that Russia was involved. Such incidents included:

  • On 19 February, hackers gained access to the broadcast signal of the national TV channel, Espresso. They posted a short video containing footage of destroyed Ukrainian cities and Jo Biden calling for a “stop”, hinting at the alleged involvement of the United States in the war in Ukraine.
  • On 24 February, a ticker on the “Pryamiy” TV channel on YouTube was hacked during a broadcast and used to spread Russian propaganda instead of news content.
  • On 28 March, Russians jammed the satellite broadcast of the “1+1 Media” group TV channels and put on air their own propaganda materials. It took several hours to restore broadcasting. 
  • On 16 October, a DDoS attack was carried out against the Detector Media website. During the attack, the site continued to operate, but with numerous interruptions.
  • On 16 December, the Espreso TV channel came under cyber attack. The attackers gained unauthorized access to the channel’s server and began broadcasting a fake video appeal in the Russian language by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The video repeated Russian propaganda narratives about mobilization in Ukraine. The attack was promptly neutralized by changing the signal.

5/ ATTACKS ON MEDIA WORKERS BY UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES, CIVILIANS AND UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS (NON-WAR-RELATED INCIDENTS)

There were six cases of physical attacks on media workers not related to military activities recorded in 2024. Journalists were subjected to physical attacks for reporting on important public topics. None of the incidents were carried out by the authorities.

  • On 8 March, a film crew of the StopKor information portal arrived at a business centre in Kyiv believed to house a fraudulent call centre. Security and office staff attacked the journalists, and attempted to grab their equipment. As a result one of the journalists, Igor Dotsenko, had his nose broken.
  • On 19 July, a woman participating in a rally in Zaporizhzhia against an “unfair power cut” pushed the journalist, Kateryna Klochko, and grabbed her arm.
  • On 30 September, journalist Elena Gnitetskayawas filming the construction of an underground school in the front-line city of Kherson. A man pushed her, snatched the phone from her hands and threw it into the construction pit. After the police arrived, Gnitetskaya’s phone was returned to her.
  • In the city of Cherkasy, on 17 October, a local journalist, and director of a local TV channel, Valery Vorotnik, arrived at a church to cover events related to the declaration by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of its full independence from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which was part of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). A priest ordered members of the congregation who were trying to keep the church under UOC-MP rule, to attack Vorotnik. His camera was damaged.
  • In Zhytomyr on 18 December, relatives of the defendants in a trial physically prevented a film crew from the National Public Television and Radio Company of Ukraine, including journalist Katerina Moroz, from entering the courtroom before the trial started. The journalists managed to get inside only after the police arrived.

At the end of 2024, current and former representatives of various branches of government began to actively file lawsuits against individual journalists and media outlets for “insulting their honour and dignity”, “damaging their reputation” and “violation of privacy”.

  • A journalistic investigation was instigated by Slidstvo.info and the journalist, Yana Korniychuk, into Alexander Govorushchak, an employee of the State Bureau of Investigation and a former prosecutor, into the acquisition by his relatives of property worth 35 million hryvnia ($840,000). On 9 December, Govorushchak filed a lawsuit against the editors of Slidstvo.info and the author of the material, Yana Korniychuk. In the statement of claim, the plaintiff asks the media outlet to refute and delete all published information related to him and his relatives. In addition he is demanding 40,000 hryvnia ($1,000) from both the publication and the journalist as moral compensation.
  • On 16 December, Gennady Korban, a businessman and former chief of staff of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, filed a lawsuit against the editors of the Ukrainian Tyzhden magazine and the journalist, Yuriy Makarov. Makarov believes that the reason for the lawsuit is an article he published on 11 September 2024, where in one paragraph he mentioned Korban as a developer and that he possibly made threats against the activist Roman Ratushny.
  • On 23 December, a former judge of the Donetsk District Administrative Court, Lyudmila Arestova, filed a lawsuit against the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty and Georgy Shabaev, a journalist for the “Schemes” project. They had discovered that she holds Russian citizenship. Arestova is asking the court to order payment of 180,000 hryvnia ($4,300) for moral damages from the journalist and the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty. In her lawsuit, Arestova claims that the investigation into her Russian citizenship be recognized as “unreliable and defamatory of her honour, dignity and business reputation”, and that her photographs be removed from the publication.

In addition, at least two incidents related to harassment, pressure and threats against regional journalists were recorded after they published materials about the activities of local deputies:

  • On 4 January, journalist Oleg Baturin, who was held captive in Russian-occupied Kakhovka for nine days in 2022, reported receiving threats after the publication of his material on the activities of the current deputy of the Kherson Regional Council, Valeriy Saltykov. According to Baturin, threats from different people come from both – the Ukraine-controlled and occupied territories.
  • On 12 March, a deputy of the Sumy regional council telephoned the director of the regional TV channel “Vidikon”, Natalia Bratushka, and threatened her. The deputy was unhappy with a story the station had broadcast about possible violations in the process of transferring land from communal to private ownership.

Two other media outlets also faced pressure and illegal surveillance/wiretapping by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities:

  • On 16 January, a video about the investigative journalism project team of Bihus.Info appeared online, which showed that for several months they had been followed and filmed, and that their telephone conversations were bugged. Since 2013, the team has been systematically engaged in investigations into corruption in the highest echelons of power. On 5 February journalists from Bihus.Info reported that they had identified those who were behind the surveillance of their team. In particular, it became known that hidden cameras were installed in the investigative team’s hotel rooms by order of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
  • On 9 October, the editorial board of the online media outlet “Ukrainska Pravda” publicly reported on the systematic pressure being put on them by the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to the journalists, officials were preventing their contacts with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and were forcing businesses to stop placing adverts in “Ukrainska Pravda”. Also, people are being prohibited from communicating with “Ukrainska Pravda” journalists and participating in events organised by the media outlet.

ANNEX 1: OPEN SOURCES USED FOR GATHERING DATA (UKRAINE)

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