Journalists At War. The Monitoring of Russian Occupiers’ Crimes Against Independent Media In 2024

While oppressing independent journalism in its own country, the Kremlin is as well exterminating it at the war Russia is waging against Ukraine. Russian military shell Ukrainian TV towers and vehicles with "PRESS" written on them; they cannot be stopped by international humanitarian law or at least basic moral standards. PEN Ukraine is documenting the aggressor’s crimes against free Ukrainian and international media. Every loss is staggering. As of March 2025, 102 Ukrainian and foreign media workers have been killed by Russian occupiers since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

December

On December 9, it became known that TV editing director and military serviceman Oleh Sarelo was killed in action. Sarelo worked at 1+1 TV channel: he was, particularly, employed at the project Real History. Six months ago, Sarelo enlisted in the Ukrainian army. He served in the 72^nd separate mechanized brigade.

November

The death of journalist and military serviceman Andrii Buchak was reported on November 24. Since august 13, 2024 he had been considered missing near the village of Vodiane in the Donetsk region. In the 2000s, he worked for Luhansk advertising and information paper Courier. He actively participated in the Revolution of Dignity in Luhansk and had fought for Ukraine at war since 2014.

On November 2, TV cameraman and military serviceman Oleksii Andrieiev was buried in the city of Chernivtsi. He had been considered missing since November 29, 2023. The defender was last seen in the village of Bohdanivka near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Since the 2000s, Oleksii Andrieiev had worked as a cameraman for Mariupol TV channels TB7 and Sigma and as a press officer for the Azovstal steel plant. In 2017, he moved to Chernivtsi and took up arms to defend Ukraine on February 25, 2022.

October

On October 10, it became known that journalist Victoria Roshchyna died in the Russian captivity. She went missing on August 3, 2023, during her trip to the Russian-occupied territories, and it was only in May 2024 that Russia admitted its responsibility for holding Victoria in captivity. Her father was informed that 27-year-old Victoria died on September 19, 2024. She was going to be included in the closest prisoners’ swap. Victoria worked with media such as Ukrainska Pravda, hromadske, Censor.net and covered difficult and sensitive topics.

September

On September 26, it became known that line producer and military serviceman Stanislav Zhytnytskyi was killed in action. Stanislav had been employed at the Starlight Media since 2017, and he took up arms to defend his country after the outbreak of the full-scale invasion. He was promoted to a junior sergeant and served within the separate presidential brigade named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

On September 18, it became known that TV cameraman and military serviceman Ivan Zakharov was killed in action. He had been considered missing for a year. Before enlisting in the National Guard of Ukraine, he used to work at TV channels such as Ukraine and 1+1.

The death of TV cameraman and military serviceman Pavlo Parkhomenko was reported on September 11. Parkhomenko had worked at the Priamyi TV Channel since the day of its establishment. He took up arms to defend Ukraine in 2014 and joined the defense forces again after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

August

On August 26, journalist and military serviceman Bohdan Zatula was killed in a massive Russian shelling in the Dnipro region. Before the full-scale war, he worked as an editor at the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia newspaper. In May 2024, he took up the position of a correspondent at the Novyny.LIVE Channel in Kharkiv. Zatula was mobilized in the Armed Forces of Ukraine on July 31, 2024.

 

The Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans was killed on August 24 in a Russian strike on Kramatorsk. Ryan Evans had served in the British army. He joined the Reuters team in 2022. Evans was among the 6 agency employees who stayed at the Saphire hotel in Kramatorsk during the Russian strike.

On August 4, TV cameraman and military serviceman Volodymyr Chernyshov was killed in action in the Donetsk region. In his civilian life, he worked at TV channels such as TV Center, TTV, Inter, and Viter (CBN; 2019-2020). Chernyshov enlisted in the Ukrainian army in May 2024.

July

Ornithologist photographer and military serviceman Oleksii Sapuha was killed on July 30 in the Donetsk region. He was a birdwatching enthusiast, widely known among ornithologists. His combat mission in the Donetsk region started at the beginning of July 2024.

June

On June 10, military photographer, photo artist Arsen Fedosenko was killed by a guided aerial bomb in the Kharkiv region. In his civilian life, Arsen was greatly interested in landscape photography and very fond of photographing Ukrainian wineries. Arsen was a graphic artist by training, but it was yet in his student’s years that he started his career as a photographer. Since 2010, Arsen was engaged in artistic and cultural photo projects in cooperation with the National Philharmonic of Ukraine and Embassy of Italy. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Fedosenko became the photographer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

May

On May 29, journalist and combat medic Iryna Tsybukh (call sign "Cheka") was killed in the Kharkiv region. Tsybukh worked as a manager of the Department of Regional broadcasting at Suspilne and cooperated with Hromadske radio. Additionally, she implemented educational projects in remote villages of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she served as a combat medic in the ranks of Hospitallers voluntary battalion.

On May 7, journalist and serviceman Oleksandr Mashlay was killed in the Avdiivka direction. Oleksandr used to be the chief editor of the civic political newspaper (later magazine) Pravyi Postup. He served in the ranks of the 25^th separate assault battalion of the 47^th separate mechanized brigade Magura and took part in battles on the frontline.

 

April

On April 26, cameraman, activist, and serviceman Yurii Silyuk was killed in action near the village of Arkhangelske in the Donetsk region. In his civilian life, Yurii worked at the Volyn TV and Hromadske.Volyn. He stood up to defend Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

On April 25, journalist and servicewoman Alla Pushkarchuk was killed in the Donetsk region. She studied theater history at Karpenko-Karyi University, worked as a cultural observer at the Tyzhden magazine, and was a coordinator of the Empty Chair People project with Chytomo. Since 2014, she had regularly documented the war as a journalist. After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she joined the 58^th separate motorized infantry brigade where she served as a mortar gunner.

On April 20, journalist and serviceman Andrii Topchii was killed in action near Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he enlisted in the army for the second time. During his military service in 2014, he got the rank of sergeant. Topchii was a combat medic. In his civilian life he worked as a journalist at outlets such as Telegraf and Fakty.

On April 3, it became known that investigative journalist and serviceman Oleh Shemchuk was killed at the frontline. Oleh stood up to defend Ukraine. On September 15, 2022, he went missing while performing a combat mission in the Bakhmut district. Before the full-scale war, Oleh worked for the outlet Our Money and the Zaporizhzhia Center for Investigations. He was 28 years old.

March

On March 22, media worker and serviceman Mykola Oranskyi was killed at the frontline. Before the full-scale war, he worked as an engineer and cameraman at Hromadske.ua. Then he stood up to defend Ukraine. Mykola was killed while performing a combat mission near Robotyne.

On March 18, the death of Petro Tsurukin, media worker and serviceman, was confirmed. Tsurukin was killed at the frontline in June 2023. Since then, he had been considered missing. Tsurukin worked as the chief editor of the project One for All at the STB TV channel, and he was a presenter at the Kyiv Live TV channel.

On March 9, the death of journalist, activist, and defender of Ukraine Dmytro Sinchenko became known. Sinchenko studied political sciences in Kyiv and investigative journalism in Riga. He wrote political materials for media such as Tyzhden and Radio Liberty. In February 2022, he joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army. At the end of August 2023 Dmytro got out of touch. Later, the DNA expertise confirmed his death.

On March 1, it became known that video editor with the XSPORT TV channel, defender of Ukraine Anton Iakovenko was killed in battle near Vuhledar. Anton enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the very first days of the full-scale war. He served in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians. In his civilian life, he worked in the department of promotion at the TV channel XSPORT and was among the authors of the hockey show Ice Age. Anton Iakovenko left behind a wife and a little daughter.

February

On February 22, volunteer, journalist, and serviceman Volodymyr Petrenko was killed in battle in the Kharkiv region. Since December 2023, the man had served in the Kupiansk direction. He used to work in the local media of the Zhytomyr region; particularly, he edited the website Polissya.today. During the last years of his civilian life, Petrenko ran a Ukrainian speaking club at Malyn central public library and was a member of the Malyn brass band.