Russians commit more than 150 crimes against media in Ukraine in March

In March, russian troops committed 155 crimes against the media and journalists in Ukraine, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) reports. 

The crimes include killing, shooting and wounding journalists, threats, harassment, abduction, shelling and seizure of TV towers, cyberattacks on Ukrainian media websites, shelling of media offices, cutting Ukrainian broadcasting, blocking access to Ukrainian media sites in russia and Crimea, and others.

According to IMI, 6 journalists were killed on the job and at least 6 journalists were shot and injured by russian troops in March. Ten media workers were captured by russian occupation forces. 

Journalists killed: Yevhen Sakun, TV LIVE cameraman; Brent Renaud, former The New York Times reporter; Pierre Zakzewski, Fox News cameraman; Oleksandra Kuvshynova, fixer, journalist; Aksana Baulina, journalist at russia’s The Insider; Maksym Levin, photojournalist, documentary photographer.

Abducted by russian forces: Radio France fixer Nikita (name changed); Hromadske journalist Viktoria Roshchyna; Kherson journalist Oleh Baturyn; Melitopolski Vidomosti newspaper journalist Yulia Olkhovska; Melitopolski Vidomosti newspaper journalist Lyubov Chaika; Melitopolski Vidomosti newspaper publisher Mykhailo Kumok; Melitopolski Vidomosti newspaper managing editor-in-chief Yevhenia Boryan; father of Svitlana Zalizetska, director of Melitopol Main Newspaper and RIA-Melitopol website; UNIAN correspondent Dmytro Khylyuk; Zaporizhzhia journalist Iryna Dubchenko.

Russian troops also seized Ukrainian media outlets and began broadcasting russian channels. The russians cut Ukrainian broadcasting in Kherson and Melotopil and mined the office of Suspilne Broadcasting in Kherson. 

Russian crimes against journalists and the media have taken place in 15 regions of Ukraine, with the most in the Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. 

Since the start of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, russian troops have killed at least 20 journalists in Ukraine.  As of March 24, the russians have committed 148 crimes against journalists in Ukraine.