In August, Russians destroyed an editorial office in Chernihiv and fired on journalists

Russian forces committed six acts of aggression against Ukrainian journalists in August, including shelling a film crew, destroying an editorial office in a missile attack, conducting a cyber attack against a publication and using legal threats to intimidate reporters, according to an organization that tracks crimes against journalists in Ukraine.

The Institute of Mass information (IMI) reported the figures in its latest monthly report, which detailed several of the instances. The report also noted cases in which Ukrainian officials had violated the free speech rights of journalists.

The incidents or Russian aggression include the following:

• The Radio Liberty film crew, which included reporter Yevhenia Kytayiva, cameraman Anna Kudryavtseva, and driver Volodymyr Yavnyuk, came under Russian shelling in the Donetsk region on Aug. 30. The car was damaged as a result of the shelling, but the crew was not injured

• The Russian rock attack on the Taras Shevchenko Regional Music and Drama Theater in Chernihiv on Aug. 19 also the editorial offices of the ЧЕline news site were destroyed. The impact of the rocket and the explosive wave that followed caused windows and doors to shatter, and parts of the ceiling and walls collapsed. The equipment lost or damaged included: laptops, computers, cameras and microphones.

• Russia declared Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter Yanina Sokolova as “wanted.”

• The editors of ZN.UA reported on DDoS attacks by Russian hackers on the night of Aug. 9.

• On the night of August 21, the Russian occupiers hacked the telegram channel of the Ukrainian publication “RIA Melitopol”, which has continued to operate even after the temporary occupation of the city

• The Russians are also spreading a fake article about the losses of the Ukrainian army, signed by the name of journalist Iryna Synelnyk.

IMI also recorded four violations of freedom of speech by Ukranian local government officials during the month of August:

• The head of the Obolon District Court of the city of Kyiv, Olena Zhezhera, prohibited a journalist with the Watchers media project, Alina Kondratenko, from recording audio or taking photos during a court session.

• The publication “Dnipro operative” again received a bomb threat via mail.

• The Department of Municipal Administration of the Zaporizhzhia City Council refused to provide reporters from the Zaporizhzhia Center of Investigation with records concerning road repairs in Zaporizhzhia, which were carried out from the beginning of July to the end of August.

• The “Technotorg” group of companies filed a lawsuit against Volyn Online” journalist Maryana Metelska after she published an investigative report alleging the manufacturing group used subsidiaries to continue to trade and important products from Russia and Belarus

As previously reported, in July, Russia committed four crimes against Ukrainian media. In the year and six months since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 529 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine