Ukraine: Three newspaper buildings hit by Russian drones
Journalists resolve to continue working despite damage.
The NUJ condemns the damage to three Ukrainian newspaper offices caused by Russian drone attacks.
The editorial offices of the newspaper Mezhivskyi Meridian in the Dnipropetrovsk region, along with Ukrainska Pravda’s building and that of Radio Free Liberty (both in Kyiv) were all damaged on the night of August 28, according to the International Federation of Journalists and the National Union of Journalists Ukraine.
Mezhivskyi Meridian’s editor-in-chief, Yevhen Khrypun revealed on Facebook the extent of the damage caused. He is the only journalist covering life on the Mezhyvshchyna front line; the NUJU has helped find him a replacement office nearby and he has already returned to work.
The same resolve was shown by Ukrainska Pravda’s team which is continuing to work. Its editor-in-chief Sevgil Musayeva showed on social media the destruction caused and said, fortunately, “No one was hurt, and that’s the main thing: we have cases where people stay overnight to work on materials. But this time no one was there."
Her words were echoed by RFL’s president Steven Kapus, who said: “Rest assured, our journalists will continue their vital work. Direct hits from two missiles nearby shattered windows and damaged equipment - revealed on the NUJU’s website, but, thankfully, no staff were injured.
The NUJ stands in solidarity with the NUJU - which has appealed to international organisations for help and support - and the journalists affected and calls for international action to ensure journalists are not killed or injured simply for doing their job.
Sergiy Tomilenko, President, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, said:
“Russian attacks on civilian areas of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk region damaged offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrainska Pravda, and Mezhivsky Merydian.
"These strikes on residential neighborhoods once again demonstrate the indiscriminate nature of Russian aggression against Ukrainian civilians. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine stands in full solidarity with our colleagues affected by these attacks. Ukrainian media will continue serving our communities despite the constant threat to civilian infrastructure.”
The IFJ and the European Federations of Journalists commented:
“We condemn these heinous attacks on media offices in the strongest possible terms. Russian authorities must take full responsibility and launch an immediate and transparent investigation. We stand in full solidarity with our affiliate, NUJU, and our Ukrainian colleagues who have been reporting with courage under extremely difficult conditions for over three years.”