Russia has committed 514 crimes against Ukrainian media

In the year and three months since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 514 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine. This is stated in the monitoring data of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI).

During the fifteenth month of the war, IMI recorded five freedom of speech violations committed by Russia. Namely, these include murder and wounding of journalists, cyber attacks, and broadcasting Russian propaganda.

In the fifteenth month of the war, seven media workers were killed on the frontline. Two of them died while reporting, and five were defending Ukraine against the Russian occupiers:

• Bohdan Bitik – Ukrainian producer for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, killed by a Russian attack in Kherson on April 26, 2023;
• Arman Soldin – video reporter for the French news agency AFP, killed by a rocket strike in Ukraine’s east on May 9, 2023;
• Dmytro Siryk – Suspilne Donbas host, soldier; killed on April 20 in Donetsk oblast. On the channel, he hosted “Rewind”, an original program about music news and hits;
• Oleksandr Bondarenko – soldier, journalist, and communications officer, killed in action on April 27;
• Volodymyr Mukan – soldier who worked as a journalist and editor at “Gazeta Po-Ukrainsky”, the magazine “Kraina”, and Gazeta.ua before the full-scale war. Killed in Bakhmut on April 29, 2023 while carrying out a combat mission;
• Denys Kryvy – nature photographer, soldier, killed near Bakhmut while trying to rescue his wounded comrades;
• Ivan Kuzminsky – soldier, director at the television channel for children “Malyatko TV”, killed in a battle with Russian invaders near Dibrova, Luhansk oblast, on May 17.

In total, as of May 24, 59 media workers were killed in Ukraine, 10 of them while performing professional journalistic activities.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, IMI has documented the disappearance and loss of contact with at least 14 journalists from Mariupol. As of May 24, 2023, IMI found out that all 14 journalists managed to escape.

In addition, Russians committed 51 cybercrimes. Among their crimes were 10 seizures and attacks on media outlets. IMI also recorded 27 cases of shutting down Ukrainian broadcasting and broadcasting Russian propaganda.

Previously, during the eight months of the full-scale war, Russia committed 457 crimes against Ukrainian journalists and media.

Image: IMI

Source: IMI