243 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine committed by Russia in two months of war

In two months of the full-scale war, russia has committed 243 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine.

This is according to the monitoring conducted by the Institute of Mass Information.

As of April 24, seven journalists were killed while carrying out their professional duty, nine were injured, and at least 15 are missing.

IMI has documented eight cases of journalists being captured and abducted by russians. In these cases, at least nine journalists were taken hostage. Most of them have already been released, but the fate of one of the journalists, Dmytro Khylyuk, who disappeared in Kyiv region, is still unknown. Colleagues had some intelligence about him being taken hostage; however, the region had already been liberated from the occupants, yet nothing is known about the journalist's whereabouts.

In addition, the fate of at least 14 journalists from Mariupol also remains unknown. IMI is currently unable to verify what happened to our colleagues, so we consider them missing.

The list of russian crimes also includes shelling, threats, harassment of journalists, shelling and seizure of TV towers, hacking attacks on Ukrainian media websites, shelling of media offices, shutting down Ukrainian broadcasting, blocking access to Ukrainian media websites in russia and the occupied Crimea. In addition, at least 106 regional media outlets were forced to cease their work due to threats from the russian occupants, seizure of offices, inability to work under temporary occupation and print newspapers, etc.

Seven journalists have been killed while carrying out their duties in Kyiv and its suburbs in the two months since russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among them are three Ukrainian journalists and four foreign ones, five men and two women. Namely:

1. Yevhen Sakun, LIVE channel cameraman (deceased on March 1 in a russian missile strike on a TV tower in Kyiv);
2. Brent Renaud, documentarist and The Times correspondent (shot by russians on March 13 at a checkpoint in Irpin);
3. Pierre Zakrzewski, Fox News cameraman, Irish citizen (deceased on March 14 in a russian shelling attack on Horenka village, Kyiv region);
4. Oleksandra Kuvshynova, Ukrainian fixer and journalist (deceased on March 14 together with Pierre Zakrzewski in a russian shelling attack on Horenka village, Kyiv region);
5. Oksana Baulina, journalist working for the russian The Insider, Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (deceased on March 23 under russian artillery fire in Kyiv while carrying out an editorial assignment);
6. Maxim Levin, photo reporter, war correspondent, had worked for many international agencies and Ukrainian media (went missing on March 13, found murdered on April 1);
7. Mantas Kvedaravicius, Lithuanian filmmaker and documentarist (killed in Mariupol).

Another 14 journalists were killed as combatants or as a result of russian shelling, not while performing their journalist duties.

1. Oleksandr Lytkin, "КNК Мedia" journalist, deceased on February 13 in a shelling attack on Romanivka village by russian troops.
2. Dilerbek Shakirov, civillian journalist working for "Navkolo tebe" informational weekly, shot from an automatic rifle on February 26 in Kherson suburbs;
3. Serhiy Pushchenko, graphic artist and painter, culturologist, Honored Artist of Ukraine, National Journalist Union of Ukraine member, award-winning journalist, volunteer and ATO veteran, killed on March 2 in Vasylkiv together with his territorial defence comrades;
4. Viktor Dudar, war journalist, deceased on March 6 in a battle with russian invaders near Mykolaiv;
5. Pavlo Li, actor, "Dom" channel host, joined territorial defence forces at the beginning of the war, deceased on March 6 near Irpin while helping evacuate civillians;
6. Viktor Dedov, "Sigma" channel cameraman, killed on March 11 in Mariupol as a result of a shelling attack on a building;
7. Oleh Yakunin, Zaporizhzhia misto.zp.ua website editor, deceased on March 18 defending Ukraine from russian invaders;
8. Lilia Humyanova, journalism tutor and the head of the art department of Livoberezhny District House of Children's and Youth Creativity, killed on March 19 in a russian shelling attack on Mariupol;
9. Yurii Oliynyk, Channel 24 cameraman, deceased on March 23 in a battle near Popasna village, Luhansk region;
10. Serhiy Zaikovskyy, essayist, historian, translator, deceased on March 24 in a battle with russian invaders near Kyiv;
11. Denys Kotenko, Ministry of Veterans Affairs press office employee, deceased on March 24 in a battle with russian invaders near Kyiv;
12. Yevhen Bal, journalist, author, volunteer, died under torture at the hands of russian troops on April 2 in Mariupol;
13. Roman Nezhyborets, Chernihiv's "Dytynets" channel video engineer, killed by russian troops in April in Yahidna village near Chernihiv;
14. Zoreslav Zamoiskyy, body with signs of violent death found on April 13 in Bucha.

At least nine journalists have been injured in the russian invaders' shelling attacks in Kyiv, Sumy, Mykolayiv, and Chernihiv regions:

1. Stefan Weichert, journalist for the Danish Esktra-Bladet (wounded on February 26 when their car came under fire in Okhtyrka, Sumy region);
2. Emil Filtenborg Mikkelsen, journalist for the Danish Esktra-Bladet (wounded on February 26 when their car came under fire in Okhtyrka, Sumy region);
3. Stuart Ramsay, correspondent for the British Sky News (wounded by russian troops' gunfire in Bucha, Kyiv region, on February 28. The channel's cameraman Richie Mockler was saved by his bulletproof vest);
4. Guillaume Briquet, Swiss journalist (wounded in Mykolaiv region on March 6 as the car he was in came under russian gunfire. He was also robbed. The occupants could clearly see "PRESS" sign on the car);
5. Maryan Kushnir, Radio Liberty correspondent (wounded in a missile strike on March 11 near Kyiv);
6. Juan Diego Herrera Arredondo, American journalist (wounded in a russian shelling attack on March 13 in Irpin near Kyiv);
7. Benjamin Hall, journalist for the American Fox News (hospitalised with a severe wound he took on March 14 while working on a report near Kyiv);
8. Andrii Tsaplienko, journalist for "TSN.Tyzhden," 1+1 channel (received a shrapnel wound on March 24 as russians fired at a civillian convoy in Chernihiv region);
9. Oleksandr Navrotskyy, cameraman (received a severe leg wound on March 26 while filming during a "Grad" shelling attack in Kyiv region).

IMI has recorded eight cases of capturing and abduction of journalists by the russian invaders. These cases have occurred in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia (Melitopol) and Kherson (Nova Kakhovka) regions. Namely, these are the abduction of journalists and the publisher of "Melitopolski Vidomosti" newspaper and taking the father of RIA-Melitopol journalist Svitlana Zalizetska, as well as Nova Kakhovka journalists Oleh Baturyn and Oleksandr Hunko, hostage.

The russian occupants have shelled 11 TV towers in eight regions of Ukraine: Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia region), Kyiv and Vinarivka village (Kyiv region), Kharkiv (hit the TV tower twice) and the region (Izyum), Rivne, Vinnytsia, Korosten (Zhytomyr region), Lysychansk (Luhansk region), Bilopillya (Sumy region). As a result of russian air strikes, Ukrainian broadcasting has completely or partially disappeared in these regions.

In addition, the occupants have seized Ukrainian media offices and switched the broadcasting to russian channels. In particular, the russian invaders forcibly shut Kherson and Melitopol off from Ukrainian broadcasting, and mined Suspilne's building in Kherson.

IMI has also recorded numerous DDoS attacks on the websites of Ukrainian online media and NGOs covering russia's war against Ukraine. Media websites have been hacked, news reports edited, russian symbols or calls to surrender posted. Namely, the attacks were targeting the websites of Suspilne, NV, Channel 5, "Babel," Lutsk website "Konkurent," "Poltavska Khvylya" media, the website of Kherson's "Novy den" newspaper, Minfin.com.ua financial periodical, the Kherson edition MOST, TV channel websites "Espresso," "Detector Media," etc. In addition, IMI recorded phishing attacks on Ukrainian media offices and journalists.

Since the end of March, IMI has recorded threats being sent to Ukrainian media outlets and journalists via email. The threatening letters came from the russian mail.ru service, signed by various users. Journalists have been threatened with interrogation, torture, and incarceration, and were even sent rhymed threats later. Such letters have been received by the editorial offices of European Pravda, Hlavkom, Apostrof, Krym.Realii, Zaporizhzhia city website 061.ua, and a number of Volyn and Zaporizhzhia media outlets.

russian crimes against journalists and the media have been recorded in 16 regions of Ukraine. russia has committed the most crimes in Kyiv and Kyiv region (murder, wounding, disappearances, abductions, shelling of journalists and TV towers, threats, cybercrimes). Then come Zaporizhzhia and Kherson: some cities in these regions are occupied by the russian army; there have been cases of abductions, shooting on journalists, threats, cybercrimes, seizure of media offices and the shutdown of Ukrainian broadcasting. Many Ukrainian editorial offices have been with interruptions due to sirens and shelling throughout Ukraine.

Murders – 7

01.03.2022 Live TV cameraman Yevheniy Sakun was killed in the shelling of a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1.

The report on the death of the TV channel worker was later confirmed by the National Police, according to Novyny.LIVE.

"Now we have a personal account with the invaders," Yevheniy Sakun's colleagues wrote. Novyny.LIVE editorial staff expresses their sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.

As IMI has reported, on March 1, russian troops shelled the Kyiv TV tower; the channels had temporarily gone off air as a result.

The Shevchenkivsky District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv has launched a criminal investigation into the shelling attack on Kyiv TV tower, which resulted in the death of several people (violation of the laws and customs of war) (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

2. russian terrorists kill journalist Brent Renaud in Irpin

13.03.2022 In Irpin, near Kyiv, the russian invaders shot dead The New York Times correspondent Brent Renaud and wounded another journalist. This was reported by Kyiv Police Chief Andriy Nebytov.

"Today, a correspondent working for the world-famous New York Times was shot dead in Irpin. Another journalist was wounded. Now the victim is being taken away from the combat zone. Naturally, the journalist's profession involves some risks, but the US citizen Brent Renaud paid the price of his life for trying to cover the villainy, cruelty, and ruthlessness of the aggressor," Andriy Nebytov wrote.

According to the Okhmatdyt Hospital's spokeswoman Anastasia Magerramova, the injured journalist, American citizen Juan Diego Herrera Arredondo, 46 years old, was conscious. The man received a shrapnel wound in his thigh. He has been operated by Okhmatdyt medics. He does not know of his colleague's fate yet. The last thing he remembers is Brent Renaud being shot in the neck at a russian checkpoint.

3. Photojournalist Max Levin killed by russian troops – Prosecutor's Office

02.03.2022 Photojournalist Maxim Levin, who had gone missing while carrying out his journalistic duties in March in Kyiv region, has been found dead. This was reported to the Institute of Mass Information by Prosecutor General's Office.

“The journalist's body was found in the village of Huta Mezhyhirska in Vyshhorod district. According to preliminary information, Maxim Levin, unarmed, was killed by the russian armed forces personnel, shot twice from a light weapon,” the report reads.

The police found the photojournalist's body on April 1.

The Vyshhorod District Prosecutor's Office has opened criminal proceedings for violation of laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to LB.ua, where Max had worked for a long time, he and Oleksiy Chernyshov, a serviceman and formerly a photographer, went to document the outcomes of russian aggression. The fate of Oleksiy Chernyshov is currently unknown.

Max Levin is survived by four underage sons, a wife and elderly parents.

As IMI reported, photojournalist Maxim Levin went missing on the front line in the Vyshhorod district outside Kyiv, where he was performing his professional duties and covering the war. The last time he was in touch was on March 13.

Maksym Levin was born in 1981 in Kyiv region. He had worked as a photojournalist, documentary photographer and cameraman for many Ukrainian and international publications, had collaborated with Reuters, BBC, TRT World, Associated Press, LB.ua, Hromadske. His photos were published by such publications as the Wall Street Journal, TIME, Break.

4. Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova killed by russian troops near Kyiv

15.03.2022 Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova was killed in an artillery shelling by russian troops in Horenka village, Kyiv region. Fox News cameraman, Irish citizen Pierre Zakrzewski, was killed with her. The adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Herashchenko reported this.

IMI has got a photo of a badge issued to Oleksandra Kuvshynova by Fox News.

Fox News have also covered their cameraman's death in their story. According to the channel, Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova were working with correspondent Benjamin Hall. They had been in the car when russians fired upon them.

The day before, on March 14, it became known that Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall had been wounded in the leg while filming a report near Kyiv.

According to Herashchenko, a part of Benjamin Hall's thigh has been amputated.

5. Fox News cameraman killed by russian troops

15.03.2022 Fox News cameraman, Irish citizen Pierre Zakrzewski has been killed in an artillery shelling by russian troops in Horenka village, Kyiv region. Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova was killed with him. The adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Herashchenko reported this. Fox News have also covered their cameraman's death in their story. According to them, Zakrzewski and Kuvshynova had been working with correspondent Benjamin Hall. They had been in the car when russians fired upon them.

6. Journalist for The Insider killed in a shelling in Kyiv

23.03.2022 The Insider journalist Oksana Baulina died on March 23 in a russian shelling attack on Kyiv while carrying out an editorial assignment.

This was reported on the media's website.

According to the newspaper, Oksana Baulina had been filming the destruction after the russian troops fired on the Podol district of the capital and she came under new missile strike. Another civilian was killed with her, and two people who had been accompanying her were injured and hospitalized.

Before joining The Insider, Oksana had been working for Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation. After the organization was added to the extremist list, she was forced to leave russia.

As a correspondent, Oksana went to Ukraine, where she managed to make several reports from Lviv and Kyiv before her death.

The periodical stated that it will continue covering the war in Ukraine, namely such russian war crimes as "indiscriminate shelling of residential areas that is killing civillians and journalists."

7. russians kill Lithuanian documentarist Mantas Kvedaravičius in Mariupol

03.04.2022 In Mariupol, the russian military killed Lithuanian filmmaker and documentarist Mantas Kvedaravičius, as it was reported by "Army Inform," russian filmmaker Vitaly Mansky, and Lithuanian media.

"Army Inform" notes that the director died as he was trying to leave the city. According to Lithuanian media, his car might have been hit by a missile.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has already expressed his condolences over the death of Kvedaravičius, delfi.lt reports.

"Not only Lithuania, but the whole world has lost a famous artist who, despite the danger, had been working in Ukraine, which was attacked by russia. I wish much, much strength to his family, friends and all those who appreciate Kvedaravičius' talent," said the Lithuanian President.

Later, Ukrainian journalist Albina Lvutina, who had known the filmmaker, said that Mantas Kvedaravičius had been shot dead by the russian troops. "The heartless russian soldiers captured Mantas and killed him. And then just left him out there. His heroic wife did the unbelievable. Under shelling, she was able to find his body in Mariupol and take him to his native Lithuania. It was necessary to keep this information a secret so that she wouldn't be killed herself and that russians wouldn't destroy the body," the journalist wrote. According to her, Mantas died not on April 2, but earlier. At that point, his wife was already trying to take his body away through russia. The death of Kvedaravičius in the occupied Mariupol became known on April 3.

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova also reported on the circumstances of Mantas Kvedaravičius' death in Mariupol.

According to the Commissioner, he had been taken prisoner by ruscists, who later shot him. "The occupants threw the filmmaker's body out into the street. His wife, risking her life, took the body out of the blockaded city and brought it to Lithuania. The real cause of the filmmaker's death has not been announced before for the sake of her safety," the statement reads.

Mantas Kvedaravičius was born in 1976. He received a Master's degree in cultural anthropology in Oxford University. In 2011, he made the documentary "Barzah" about the war-torn Chechnya. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Amnesty International Award.

In 2016, he made a documentary "Mariupol" about the city, which had been at the forefront of the russian-Ukrainian war a year before. The film was screened at the Berlin Film Festival.

Disappearences – 15

28.03.2022

A UNIAN correspondent for UNIAN Dmytro Khylyuk went missing and has possibly been taken captive by russian troops. This was announced on Facebook by journalist Natalia Bohuta.

"My friend and colleague, journalist Dmytro Khylyuk, has been taken prisoner. According to the information we have, he had been taken away by the occupants in early March and is currently being held in a detention center in Dymer town, Kyiv region," Natalia wrote.

In the comments to the post, she added that "we have informed the Exchange Center, the Security Service, Kyryl Tymoshenko, Oleksiy Arestovych, and Iryna Venediktova." The details of the detention and the place of detention, which were reported by witnesses, have been provided to the official authorities.

"Subsequently, after talking to media representatives, in particular those who went through release of journalists, it was decided to make the information public," said Natalia.

Later, Kyiv region has been liberated from the russian occupants, but UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khulyuk has not been found yet, and he has not been in touch since the beginning of March this year.

The Committee on Protection of Journalists (CPJ) has said that the russian authorities must release him immediately and stop detaining members of the press for doing their job.

According to the news, the testimony of the journalist's relatives contains information that he was detained by the russian troops in Kozarovychi village in Kyiv region, which was occupied by the russians on March 1. A family member of the journalist told CPJ on condition of anonymity that Khylyuk had called her on March 3 and said that russian soldiers had searched the house where he lived with his parents and confiscated their phones and SIM cards.

In addition, the fate of at least 14 journalists from Mariupol remains unknown. Either they were unable to leave the city, have no phone connection, or are dead. IMI is currently unable to verify what happened to our colleagues, so we consider them missing.

Capturing and abduction of journalists – 8

1. russian troops kidnap and torture Radio France fixer

05.03.2022 On March 5, the russian military abducted Nikita (name changed), Radio France fixer, in a village in central Ukraine, tortured him, and held him captive for nine days.

This was announced on March 21 by the human rights organization Reporters Without Borders, whose representatives spoke with the fixer after his release from captivity.

According to the organization, on March 8, they received a signal from Radio France about the disappearance of the fixer and began searching for him.

According to Nikita, he was beaten, felt his teeth crumble in his mouth, was tortured with electric shocks, kept in an ice-cold waterlogged cellar, interrogated, not given food for 48 hours. He was also thrown into a ditch next to a dead dog and went through a mock-execution: a soldier standing over a ditch fired and a bullet grazed his head. He was later taken to a forest and tied to a tree and interrogated for five days. He was then released.

According to doctors, Nikita suffered hematomas in the head and all over the body, swelling of the right leg and numbness of the limbs due to electric shocks. Noting that the injuries were caused by the russian army, the doctor concluded that Nikita had received a "criminal injury." He is recovering, and his family managed to flee.

Reporters note that the recorder's testimony was verified in a conversation with another prisoner released together with Nikita, Nikita's family, and Radio France journalists with whom Nikita worked before the abduction. The RSF will provide this testimony to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor in addition to the two complaints they filed on March 4 and 16.

“Nikita has given us a chilling testimony that confirms the intensity of the war crimes perpetrated by the russian army against journalists,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “Passing his testimony on to the ICC prosecutor is the least we can do for this courageous young fixer.”

RSF shared Nikita's story:

On March 5, Nikita accompanied a visiting Radio France crew on a reporting trip in the centre of the country, not far from the village where his family had sought refuge. At the hotel where they stayed, he learned that the road to his family’s village was open. As the bombardments were intense in the region, he decided to make a quick trip to see if his family was still there and to evacuate them. He borrowed the crew’s car after removing all the equipment. He had to cross three villages to reach his destination.

Nikita was ambushed by a russian reconnaissance unit on the edge of a roadside forest while driving with a “Press” sign displayed on the front of the car. He recounts between 30 and 40 shots being fired to his car by automatic weapons. Lying on his side, he accelerated with the aim of getting away but hit a tree. Saved by his airbag, he shouted that he was a civilian, showed his hands to prove that he was unarmed and got out of the car. He counted six soldiers with a white ribbon tied around their legs. They seized him and threw him to the ground, searched and beat him. He was mistaken for a soldier who inspected the area to adjust artillery fire.

The soldiers pulled a hat over his eyes and took him to a house a few minutes away from the place of detention. Searching his phone, they found information related to his work as a fixer – about looking for bulletproof vests and plotting routes – that made them suspicious. They pulled him from the house, slammed him up against an outside wall, pulled up his cap, brushed his eye with a knife blade, ran it down his cheek, and threatened to cut his face. He explained that he was a fixer and interpreter for foreign journalists, but they hit him repeatedly with automatic rifle butts, on the face and body. Nikita felt pieces of teeth in his mouth and coughed up blood. The soldiers threw him into a ditch, next to a dead dog, and subjected him to a mock execution: a soldier pretended that he wanted to check that his gun worked and fired a shot that grazed Nikita's head.

The soldiers then took him to their camp in the forest about ten minutes' walk away. With his cap pulled over his eyes again, Nikita could not see but from what he heard the camp seemed to consist of more than 100 soldiers, armoured vehicles and artillery. They tied him to a tree, stole his wedding ring, and removed his shoes. That afternoon, the soldiers beat Nikita again with rifle butts and steel bars on his legs. He lost consciousness several times. He said the soldiers seemed to be doing this for amusement.

Blindfolded, half-stunned, Nikita was moved and tied to another tree, and later to yet another one. He spent nearly three days in the forest, tied with his hands behind his back to trees. On 6 March, he was interrogated by a soldier he understands to be a Colonel. Nikita was asked about his activities. He spent another two days tied up in the forest. They stopped beating him, and other civilians were tied next to him. One of them, who was later released at the same time as Nikita, was contacted by RSF and helped to corroborate his account.

Nikita, this other prisoner and a third one were taken in an armoured car on 8 March to a place about 40 minutes away. On arrival, soldiers pulled him out of the vehicle, threw him to the ground, a soldier sat on his back and he was asked the same questions as in the forest. The soldiers thought he was a spy who was using his job as a fixer as a cover.

A soldier rolled Nikita’s right trouser up to the knee and another gave him electric shocks. With his face pressed to the ground, Nikita was unable to see what instrument was used to administer the electric shocks, but he counted three or four shocks, each lasting five to ten seconds. The pain was such that every second felt like an eternity. The other two civilians were also tortured. The one RSF contacted said that a bag was put over his head to prevent him from breathing, and that he was beaten very violently.

The soldiers forced Nikita to write and sign a letter in which he declared his support for the russian army and the invasion of Ukraine. He and the other two civilians were then taken – tied and blindfolded – to the basement of a house whose floor was filled with water. They were left there for two days until, after begging their guards to take them to a less cold place, they were finally moved. On 10 March, they were taken to the basement of another house, where they were joined by another prisoner, a former senior Ukrainian civil servant.

In this house, the four prisoners are interrogated by a different kind of soldier. Nikita was only able to see their legs and boots but this was enough for him to realise they were not members of combat units. Their clean, polished boots and ironed trousers suggested they might be FSB or GRU members.

On 12 March, the prisoners were told they would be released the next day. And on the 13th they were indeed driven away. Nikita was released in a forest after an hour’s drive. He thought they were going to execute him and he ran. But he heard no shots and reached a road. After being stopped by other russian soldiers on the road, he feared he was going to be kidnapped again. But he managed to get into a car of Ukrainian civilians. “If you don't take him,” a soldier told the reluctant civilians, “we'll shoot him on the spot."

Nikita still has bruises all over his body, a swollen leg and difficulty moving his hands as a result of the electric shocks. The doctor who examined him found hematomas on his head and body, a swelling of the right leg, and numbness of the limbs that could be the result of electric shocks. Noting that Nikita’s injuries were inflicted by the russian army, the doctor went so far as to conclude that he had sustained “criminal trauma.” Nikita is now recovering. His family was able to escape.

08.03.2022 The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said that the russian occupants were holding foreign journalists hostage. This is stated in his address.

According to him, the journalists are being held hostage in Kyiv region.

"The occupants are holding journalists hostage: British citizens are currently being held in the town of Stoyanka-2. A group was fired upon and another journalist, a British citizen, was wounded. One more journalist, a Swiss citizen, was fired upon and robbed in Mykolaiv region. Sadly, you still allow the occupants to do so," the minister noted.

12.03.2022 Tonight in Kakhovka (Kherson region), local journalist Oleh Baturyn went missing.

His wife reported it to the regional representative of the Institute of Mass Information.

According to her, at about 4 pm, an acquaintance called Oleh and proposed to meet him near a bus station which is located near the journalist's house.

"Around 4:30 pm, Oleg went to meet him, leaving his phone and documents at home. He promised to come back in 20 minutes. But he did not come back," she said.

According to local group chats, at about 4:50 p.m. on that day, russian troops were spotted near the bus station.

Oleh Baturyn works as a journalist for the "Novy Den" newspaper.

We remind that in Kakhovka, there is no permanent russian troop presence, but the neighboring town Nova Kakhovka has been occupied. There, the invaders are attempting to create a military-civilian administration controlled by the russians.

18.03.2022 Hromadske journalist Victoria Roshchina is probably a prisoner of the russian invaders. The publication calls on the Ukrainian and international community to join efforts on the information field and by actions to contribute to the journalist's release, as Hromadske reported.

According to the publication, Roshchina has been filming videos and writing stories from hotspots in eastern and southern Ukraine every day of the russian-Ukrainian war. On March 11, the media posted an article in which she described the life of the temporarily occupied Enerhodar.

"These days, the journalist has been working on stories about military actions in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. She was going to travel all the way to Mariupol to talk about what was really going on in the city, which has been shelled by russian troops every day for more than two weeks. On the evening of March 11, Victoria Roshchina was probably on her way from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol and had poor connection, so we could hardly speak on the phone. All that was known was that she had already left Enerhodar at that time," the newspaper reported.

On March 12, the editorial office was unable to contact Victoria. Some eye-witnesses, whom the publication did not name for the sake of their safety, said that she was in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk at the time.

On March 16, Hromadske learned that the day before (probably on March 15) Victoria Roshchina was detained by the FSB.

"Currently, nothing is known about her whereabouts. Since last two days, we made every effort to release the journalist in a private manner. But it turned out to be ineffective," the publication notes.

As reported by IMI, on March 8, Victoria Roshchina said that she came under russian fire in Zaporizhzhia. Her car, in which she was, was robbed.

5. In Melitopol, invaders kidnap Melitopolski Vidomosti journalists

21.03.2022 In Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, representatives of the occupation authorities abducted several employees of the "Melitopolski Vidomosti" (MV), according to the local newspaper RIA-Melitopol.

“Armed persons came to the houses of journalists Yulia Olkhovska and Lyubov Chaika, publisher Mykhailo Kumok, and editor-in-chief of the 'Melitopolski Vidomosti' newspaper Yevhenia Boryan, abducted them and took them away to an unknown destination. The russians are trying to force them into collaboration,” the report on the MV website reads.

The MV website is currently down, but the media reported the abduction on their Telegram channel.

Representatives of the holding company appeal to the authorities in the city and the country, colleagues from the Ukrainian and international media to speak up in defense of Melitopol press representatives.

Update. According to IMI, the occupiers have already released Yevheniya Boryan. She had been taken away, interrogated, and then she came back.

The publication "Mistsevi Visti – Melitopol" reported on Facebook that the occupants have released three MV female journalists after having talked to them about collaboration. "The whereabouts of Mykhailo Kumok are still unknown," the newspaper wrote.

We will remind, Melitopol is under the control of the russian troops. The city regularly protests against the russian invasion.

Earlier, the occupiers abducted Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov and public figure Olha Haisumova.

6. "RIA-Melitopol" journalist's father taken hostage by the invaders

23.03.2022 In Melitopol (Zaporizhzhya region), the russian invaders took hostage the father of Svitlana Zalizetska, director of the “Holovna Gazeta Melitopolya” (Melitopol Main Newspaper) and the RIA-Melitopol website. The journalist asked IMI to make this incident public.

According to RIA-Melitopol, three invaders came to the journalist's house with a search at 7 am on March 23.

Retired parents - mother and father - were in the house. One of the occupiers was in civilian clothes, and two soldiers with machine guns. Everything was turned upside down in the house. They took the 75-year-old father of Zalizetsky, Yosyp Stanislavovych, in an unknown direction. The only requirement is to return home only after the daughter comes to them. The occupiers ignored the explanation that their daughter was not in the city. Relatives are trying to find out whereabouts of Svitlana Zalizetska's father, but nobody is willing to talk to them about this.

"I regard such actions of the occupying forces of the russian federation as terrorism. When they abducted my old father, they try to make me collaborate or demand that the site be shut down. The occupiers found documents – a Karta Poliaka – and began to ask my mother everything about relatives in Poland. Earlier, Halyna Danylchenko (a collaborator, head of the occupation administration of the city of Melitopol. - Ed. ) рad a preliminary "preventive" talk with me. The next meeting was to be with the commandant. The outcome was predictable, so I left the town. Otherwise, I would be sitting in the torture chambers of the occupiers' casemates, such as Mayor Ivan Fedorov, public activist Olha Haisumova and Serhiy Pryima, who is still being held captive," Svitlana Zalizetska said.

She appealed to all colleagues from the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and international organizations to make the incident public and to help release her father from captivity.

"He suffered a stroke, his mother suffered a major heart attack with cardiac arrest. I consider such methods of influence to be the Nazist ones. If something happens to my parents, it will be on the conscience of the occupiers, "said Svitlana Zalizetska.

We will remind, on March 21 the russian occupiers abducted all staff edition of MV-holding then its head Mikhail Kumok made the decision to suspend work of all holding.

28.03.2022 Zaporizhzhya journalist Iryna Dubchenko has been detained by the russian occupiers and taken to Donetsk. She was arrested in Rozivka, where she had been looking after her old grandmother. This was reported by journalist Yakov Noskov.

Dubchenko is accused of assisting and hiding Ukrainian soldiers. According to Noskov, she had been ratted out to the occupiers by locals.

"Ira is accused of assisting and hiding Ukrainian soldiers. They say that earlier, the DPR people massacred several UAF soldiers who were being treated at a local medical institution. Ira was ratted out by locals. At present, she has been sent out to Donetsk for some “investigative measures,” as Noskov reported.

Irina Dubchenko worked for the newspapers "Subota plus", "Politsovet", Depo.Zaporizhzhya website, and the UNIAN news agency.

03.04.2022 On April 3, in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, russian invaders abducted and deported Oleksander Hunko, a local journalist and writer, editor of the "Nova Kakhovka City" online media, and took him away in an unknown direction.

The journalist’s daughter Oksana Hunko told it, according to the head of the regional organization of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine who said it on Facebook.

According to the daughter, prior to that, the journalist's apartment had been searched.

A few hours before the arrival of the armed russians, the publication "New Kakhovka City" had published a story about the violent suppression of a peaceful rally in Kakhovka by the invaders.

Wounded journalists – 9

26.02.2022 A journalist of the Danish tabloid Ekstra-Bladet Stefan Weichert was wounded while reporting from eastern Ukraine on Saturday, Reuters reported.

He came under fire together with his colleage, photographer Emil Filtenborg Mikkelsen, while driving in Okhtyrka, about 90 km northwest of Kharkiv, Ekstra-Bladet reported.

"This is a terrible reminder of the danger that journalists in Ukraine face every day to document the horrors of war," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod wrote on Twitter.

The journalists were taken to the Poltava Regional Clinical Hospital, where they underwent surgery.

According to the head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration Dmitry Lunin, the citizens of Denmark had received moderate injuries. Currently their condition is stable.

According to "Fakty," the journalists had been wearing bulletproof vests. They were in the Okhtyrka area when their car came under fire.

Weichert and Mikkelsen have been living in Ukraine for two years. Both are experienced journalists and have received the necessary safety training in Denmark.

According to the National Guard, representatives of the Danish embassy were informed about the state of health of the foreign journalists.

26.02.2022 A photographer for the Danish tabloid Ekstra-Bladet Emil Filtenborg Mikkelsen was wounded while reporting from eastern Ukraine on Saturday, Reuters reported.

He came under fire together with his colleage, journalist Stefan Weichert, while driving in Okhtyrka, about 90 km northwest of Kharkiv, Ekstra-Bladet reported.

3. Sky News correspondent Stuart Ramsay wounded by russian fire in Kyiv region

28.02.2022 russian troops fired at foreign journalists near the village of Stoyanka in Kyiv region.

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the regional police on Facebook.

"On February 28, at about 4 pm, the russian military fired at a car with five employees of the British TV channel Sky News. It happened near Stoyanka village in the Bucha district," the report said.

It is noted that the media workers immediately jumped out of the car and hid in the nearest shelter, from which they were later evacuated by employees of the Bucha District Police Department.

One of the media representatives was taken to hospital by police, where he received first aid. He later joined his colleagues.

The police clarified that the group of journalists includes four citizens of Great Britain and one citizen of Ukraine.

A correspondent of the British TV channel Sky News Stuart Ramsay was injured in a shelling by russian troops in Bucha, Kyiv region, on February 28. The channel's cameraman Richie Mokler was saved by his bulletproof vest.

This was reported by Suspilne with reference to Sky News.

"Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his team were attacked near Kyiv. Cameraman Richie Mokler received two shots in a bulletproof vest, Stuart was wounded," the channel writes. A group of five media persons has already been sent to the UK.

Journalists said that after the trip to Bucha they tried to find a way back to Kyiv.

"The windshield cracked from the first shot. Cameraman Richie Mokler shrank in the front passenger's legroom. Then we came under full attack. Bullets pierced the entire car, tracers, flashes of bullets – the windshield, the plastic seats, the steering wheel, and the dashboard shattered," the media said.

At first they thought they were under false fire from a Ukrainian checkpoint. However, the Ukrainians later explained to reporters that they had been ambushed by russian saboteurs.

In the end, all five members of the film crew managed to survive and reach a safe place by hiding behind the concrete fence of a neighboring building.

"Their experience illustrates the scale of the chaos and violence as the russian invasion enters a new and more deadly phase," the paper said.

06.03.2022 The head of the Kirovohrad regional state administration Maria Chorna reported that the occupants had attacked Swiss journalist Guillaume Briquet: the militants had fired on his car and took his belongings.

Maria Chorna reported about it on Telegram, Hromadske writes.

The russian military fired at the journalist near the settlement of Vodiano-Lorine, Mykolaiv region.

According to Briquet, after crossing the Ukrainian checkpoint, he headed south in his official car and was fired upon by the occupying forces from close range just a few minutes later. At the same time, the occupiers could clearly see the "press" sign on the car.

After the shooting, the journalist immediately turned to the roadside. The russian troops approached him, named themselves and searched him. The passport, 3,000 euros in cash, personal belongings, the helmet, the camera footage and the laptop were taken from the media person.

After that, the journalist was released, got into the car and drove in the direction of Kropyvnytskyy to receive medical treatment. According to the head of the regional state administration, the journalist had shrapnel wounds. He arrived at Kropyvnytskyy Hospital in the evening of March 6.

According to the National Police, several bullets hit the glass as a result of the shooting, injuring the journalist. He suffered injuries to his face and forearms.

The russian troops fired at his armored car when he was driving towards Mykolaiv. After the car was stopped, the russian invaders took the documents, money, photos, video equipment, the laptop and other valuable things from the Swiss citizen and released him.

The injured journalist left for the Kirovohrad region as soon as possible. The wounded man was met at the checkpoint by Kropyvnytskyy police, who helped the man to get to a medical facility where he was provided with medical care.

11.03.2022 Radio Liberty correspondent Maryan Kushnir was injured in a missile strike near Kyiv. He announced this on his Instagram on the morning of March 11.

"This is the current situation in Kyiv region, we will try to get out," Maryan said in a seconds-long video which was captioned "Alive. Everything is ok."

The video shows blood trickling from his ear.

A few hours later, Maryan recorded another video, where he said that he had been injured, and received help from doctors. Feels fine, keeps working.

According to Radio Liberty, Maryan Kushnir was injured in a strike by russian troops in Kyiv region.

According to Kushnir, the missile strike or air strike took place at about 3:00 am on March 11 in Baryshivka. There are other victims of the attack, but the exact number is unknown. No one was killed.

Army medics and Baryshivka doctors provided first aid to the Radio Liberty correspondent. Now his condition is satisfactory.

Maryan Kushnir has been working for Radio Liberty since 2015, and is now actively covering events related to the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, particularly in Kyiv region.

13.03.2022 In Irpin, near Kyiv, the russian invaders shot dead The New York Times correspondent Brent Renaud and wounded another journalist. This was reported by Kyiv Police Chief Andriy Nebytov.

"Today, a 51-year-old correspondent working for the world-famous New York Times was shot dead in Irpin. Another journalist was wounded. Now the victim is being taken away from the combat zone. Naturally, the journalist's profession involves some risks, but the US citizen Brent Renaud paid the price of his life for trying to cover the villainy, cruelty, and ruthlessness of the aggressor," Andriy Nebytov wrote.

According to the Okhmatdyt Hospital's spokeswoman Anastasia Magerramova, the injured journalist, American citizen Juan Diego Herrera Arredondo, 46 years old, was conscious. The man received a shrapnel wound in his thigh. He has been operated by Okhmatdyt medics. He does not know of his colleague's fate yet. The last thing he remembers is Brent Renaud being shot in the neck at a russian checkpoint.

14.03.2022 Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who has been covering the war in Ukraine for the past weeks, was hospitalized with wounds sustained on March 14 while reporting on the developments near Kyiv.

This was announced by Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, as European Pravda reported.

"We have a minimal level of details right now, but Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation quickly unfolds," Suzanne Scott said.

"The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and extremely important," Scott added.

Earlier, Fox News presenter John Roberts reported about the journalist's injuries during the broadcast, Ukrinform reports.

"A Fox News journalist has been wounded while reporting from near Kyiv," Roberts said. He added that few details were known about the incident. The channel's team is trying to learn more.

In the evening of March 14, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova reported that a foreign journalist had received a shrapnel fracture on both legs as a result of shelling by russian troops. She published the journalist's ID showing the name of Fox News, an American television channel.

According to the Prosecutor General, the journalist is in intensive care at the hospital.

"Fragmentary fracture of the two lower extremities - "russian world" diagnosis made by Ukrainian doctors to a British journalist. The journalist is currently in intensive care under medical supervision. […] Once again, I would like to address our partners: a citizen of your country was on the territory of Ukraine, performing an editorial task. His diagnosis is above. This man was not at the military facility, which, according to russian officials, they are constantly targeting. While not at the military facility, he was seriously injured," Venediktova wrote.

The information about the crime has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations (ERDR), and this procedure will be properly investigated, the Prosecutor General said

25.03.2022 "1+1" TV channel's “TSN. Tyzhden” journalist Andriy Tsaplienko received a shrapnel wound. He wrote about this on March 25 on Facebook, TSN reports.

According to him, the injury is not serious. He did not provide other details.

"Got myself into trouble. Got a small shrapnel wound. The doctor promised it would heal before the victory, ” the journalist wrote.

According to 1+1 media, Tsaplienko was wounded in the evening of March 25 during a shelling by russian troops of a column of civilians in the Chernihiv region.

Foreign journalists from the English-language channel TRT World (Turkey) and a special correspondent of TSN (1+1), Honored Journalist of Ukraine Andriy Tsaplienko were in the fired column. They performed an editorial task, recording the holding of a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians to a safe area.

"It happened today, March 25, at about 4:50 p.m., during the shelling of the humanitarian corridor to Chernihiv. There were many civilians and cars waiting for permission to cross into Chernihiv to pick up their relatives. After the drone recorded a crowd, 15 minutes later the shelling began. First they started firing from Smerch (heavy multiple rocket launcher), then from 122 mm caliber artillery, then a mortar was connected, and at the final stage it was a tank. All this lasted at least an hour and a half," Andriy Tsaplienko said.

Together with Tsaplienko there was the TV film crew of the English-language channel TRT World. "Despite the fact that their colleagues are experienced military journalists, they were shocked, because for the first time they found themselves under such heavy artillery fire. As well as shocked by the brutality of the russian military towards the civilian population," said the journalist.

Now Andriy is on an IV: "The doctors said the wound was A-grade. This means that everything will be fine and I am very lucky."

We remind that, according to IMI, during a month of full-scale invasion of the russian federation into Ukraine (from February 24 to March 24) at least seven journalists were wounded as a result of attacks by the russian occupants.

26.93.2022 Cameraman Oleksander Navrotskyy received a severe leg injury on the front line. As he was filming, Navrotsky came under fire from the enemy's multiple rockets launcher "Grad" in Kyiv region. This was announced by director Volodymyr Sydko.

"Oleksander is now in a satisfactory condition at the hospital, but getting him on his feet – literally – requires expensive treatment and rehabilitation. We, his closest friends, will do everything possible to get him back in line, but we need your help. I ask you all, as I have never asked anyone: help! I understand that during this cynical war, not everyone can afford it, but even a few hryvnias will come in handy! Below are the bank details of Oleksander and his dad. Maximum repost! Endlessly grateful to all."