Sedan starten av kriget 2022 har 13 journalister dödats i kriget i Ukraina, varav två förra året. Omkring 50 journalister har också skadats efter attacker från ryska väpnade styrkor medan de har rapporterat.
Sergiy Tomilenko är ordförande för NUJU – The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. Han är gäst på Journalistförbundets kongress den 4-6 mars 2025 och fick två frågor att svara på i ett mejl inför resan till Sverige.
What is it like to work as a journalist in Ukraine today?
"The reality of journalism in Ukraine has transformed dramatically since Russia's full-scale invasion. Every media professional in Ukraine has essentially become a war journalist, regardless of their previous specialization. We operate under conditions of constant danger, with infrastructure regularly targeted by Russian forces.
Our frontline journalists face extraordinary challenges. For example, in eastern Ukraine, the newspaper "Zorya" has had its office hit by Russian artillery ten times, yet continues publishing. As documented by the British Daily Mail, our editor Vasyl Myroshnyk navigates through drone attacks and artillery fire to deliver newspapers to villages just four miles from the Russian border. When electricity fails and internet connections are cut, these printed newspapers become the only reliable source of information for thousands of Ukrainians in frontline areas.
Russia deliberately targets journalists and media infrastructure to cut off access to truth. Last year saw a disturbing trend of systematic attacks on buildings used by media workers. The missile strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk killed a British Reuters consultant and left a videographer in a coma for six months. Currently, 30 Ukrainian journalists are detained in Russian prisons. Tragically, one of them, Victoria Roshchyna, died in detention without ever regaining her freedom.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's independent media sector faces an existential crisis. The war has devastated our economy, destroying advertising revenues and subscriptions. Many independent outlets are fighting for survival.
Despite these challenges, Ukrainian journalists maintain professional standards in their reporting. Our war correspondents produce high-quality investigative materials, reportage, and documentation of war crimes that expose Russian propaganda and provide crucial information to both Ukrainian audiences and the international community."
How does the international support help you in your work?
"International support has been vital to Ukrainian journalism's survival. When the full-scale invasion began, the immediate response from international journalism organizations, particularly the IFJ/EFJ Safety Fund, was crucial. It enabled us to establish our network of Journalists' Solidarity Centers in April 2022, providing emergency assistance, protective equipment, and safe workspaces for both Ukrainian and international journalists, especially in frontline regions like Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro.
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine is extremely grateful to the Swedish Union of Journalists for their assistance following the invasion. Donations from the Swedish Union to the EFJ/IFJ Safety Fund made it possible to support our network of Journalists' Solidarity Centers.
The Journalists' Solidarity Centers have become indispensable lifelines for media workers in Ukraine. These Centers provide comprehensive services including secure workspaces with reliable internet and power (essential during frequent outages), protective equipment like helmets and bulletproof vests, first aid kits specifically designed for conflict zones, and emergency psychological support. In frontline regions, they coordinate evacuation assistance and temporary relocation for journalists at immediate risk. Additionally, the Centers serve as professional hubs where journalists can connect, share information about safety conditions, and receive training on physical security and digital protection.
For international journalists arriving in Ukraine, the Centers offer crucial logistical support and local knowledge. The Centers' experienced staff have developed specialized expertise in wartime journalism safety that simply didn't exist before the full-scale invasion, making them irreplaceable assets for preserving press freedom in Ukraine.
We are also thankful to the initiative of Scandinavian publishers – the Ukrainian Media Fund, led by Bonnier News – which for three years has provided small grants to regional media, strengthening their economic sustainability. Additionally, NUJU has established a stable partnership with the Swedish human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders, enabling monitoring of Russia's war crimes against journalists and documenting testimonies of affected journalists.
Another critical initiative has been our project to support regional print media in frontline and de-occupied areas. With international support we've helped revive 32 frontline newspapers in regions including Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Sumy, and Chernihiv. These publications serve as vital information lifelines in areas where people live in basements without electricity, where television signals don't reach, and where internet access is unreliable.
However, we face significant challenges in maintaining this support. UNESCO has been our key institutional partner, but their funding will end on March 15, 2025, creating a critical situation for our Centers. Finding resources for the future of our Journalists' Solidarity Centers network is now our key challenge.
Despite these obstacles, the dedicated work of our journalists continues to raise international awareness about the realities of the war. When international journalists visit the frontlines, they see firsthand the courage and professionalism of Ukrainian media workers, which helps maintain global solidarity with Ukraine. This is particularly important as the world's attention naturally shifts to other conflicts, making it increasingly difficult to secure the same level of international support for Ukrainian media."
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Foto: Bilden på Sergiy Tomilenko är tagen av Ulrika Hyllert på europeiska journalistfederationen EFJ:s årsmöte i Pristina i Kosovo 2024.