Journalists run for cover after heavy shelling near Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 6, 2022. CPJ and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, with the support of pro bono lawyers across Europe, have developed a guide to the movement of PPE into Ukraine. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)

Ukraine: Guide to movement of personal protective equipment

For journalists operating in hostile environments, having the correct safety equipment such as helmets and flak jackets can be the difference between life and death. Nowhere has this been clearer than in Ukraine, where personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply, and where journalists have been gravely – and even fatally – injured throughout the country.

Unfortunately, PPE can be expensive, and difficult for many journalists to source. The rules governing its transportation across borders can also pose challenges due to the variety of laws across the region.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists, with the support of pro bono lawyers across Europe, developed a practical guide to help journalists quickly understand what PPE can be moved from Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland into Ukraine.

This guide was compiled by:

Committee to Protect Journalists
TrustLaw
Allen & Overy
Turcan Cazac
Hogan Lovells