Journalists in Ukraine, Russia under threat for war coverage

As Russia continues to attack cities and towns across Ukraine, journalists in both countries are facing attacks, arrests, and threats. In Russia, independent journalists were detained and their homes searched amid Victory Day celebrations, and in Ukraine, reports emerged that photojournalist Ihor Hudenko has been missing in Kharkiv since February.

To date, CPJ has confirmed that at least seven journalists have died while covering the war and is investigating whether at least five others were killed because of their work. In Russia, meanwhile, scores of reporters have left the country or are facing prosecution in the face of harsh crackdowns on independent media.

(Photo shows a resident cutting firewood outside a war-damaged block of apartments on May 12, 2022, in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)

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More on the war’s impact on the media

• Kremlin-backed television channel RT reported on its Telegram channel that two of its cameramen were injured Friday during a rocket attack in the Donetsk region
• CNN reports that Russian authorities said Crimea-based journalist Iryna Danilovich, who had been missing for 12 days, is being held in a Simferopol detention center, and has been charged with illegal handling of explosives or explosive devices; she denies the charge
• Meduza reports that a Russian court fined Radio Svoboda, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russian service, 12.8 million rubles (US$197,000) for refusing to remove “fakes” about the war in Ukraine
• The National Union of Journalists in Ukraine reports that over 74% of Ukrainian media lack the funds to continue working; 90% of newsrooms have lost advertising revenue; and a quarter of local journalists are working without pay
• Meduza reports that a film, which Lithuanian documentarian Mantas Kvedaravičius shot before his April 2 death in Mariupol, will be shown during the Cannes film festival
• Journalists detained, homes searched amid Victory Day celebrations in Russia; Sota.Vision reports that journalist Anna Loiko was released on May 12 after five days of detention
• More than 80 journalists escaped Mariupol during March and April, and most are safe in unoccupied areas of Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s journalist union
• Ukrainian photojournalist Ihor Hudenko missing in Kharkiv since February

Read CPJ’s Russia-Ukraine watch and other updates, in-depth reports and CPJ statements on the conflict