NUJU launches international advisory council to strengthen support for journalists in wartime Ukraine

The new group of international experts will advise NUJU on journalists’ safety, media resilience and the strategic development of its nationwide Solidarity Centers network.

KYIV, 24 August 2026 – On Ukraine’s Independence Day, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) launched the International Advisory Council of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers, a pro bono, non-governing advisory body.

The Council brings together senior international experts in press freedom, journalists’ safety, media resilience, media development and international cooperation. It will serve as a strategic sounding board for NUJU and help connect the needs of Ukrainian journalists and independent media with international expertise, professional solidarity and appropriate forms of support.

At the founding meeting, representatives of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers and journalists working in the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia shared first-hand accounts of rapidly changing security risks and the practical support required to keep reporting. Council members reviewed the network’s priorities for 2026–2027 and discussed how international expertise, cooperation and solidarity can reinforce its work.

“Ukrainian journalists and media are working in conditions that change almost every week, from missile and drone attacks to displacement, exhaustion and severe economic pressure. The Council is intended to help bring these realities and the most urgent needs of our colleagues to sustained international attention, and to strengthen solidarity around practical responses,” said NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko,

A nationwide safety network

NUJU operates seven Journalists’ Solidarity Center hubs in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk. Four of them — in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Sumy — serve journalists working in frontline and border regions. Together, the Centers provide assistance to journalists and media professionals across Ukraine.

From 2022 through July 2026, the Centers handled 10,573 requests for support. Selected forms of assistance included:

• 2,151 requests for protective equipment made available free of charge for temporary use, including ballistic vests, helmets, drone detectors and individual first-aid kits (IFAKs);
• emergency financial assistance for 879 journalists and media outlets affected by attacks, displacement or other emergencies;
• 953 legal consultations; and
• financial support to 277 regional media outlets.

Role of the Council

The Council is a voluntary, pro bono, non-governing advisory body. Members serve in their personal expert capacity. Its work will focus on:

• assessing current and emerging safety and resilience challenges facing Ukrainian journalists and independent media;
• advising NUJU on relevant international practices, potential responses to emerging risks and the strategic development of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers;
• connecting the operational needs of Ukrainian journalists and newsrooms with international expertise, professional solidarity, partnerships and appropriate forms of support; and
• where agreed, issuing short joint public statements and supporting international outreach on urgent issues related to journalists’ safety and media resilience.

As a first follow-up action, Council members will consider a joint public statement on the work of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers amid intensifying Russian attacks and the need to sustain support as Ukraine prepares for the coming winter.

Founding members

• Randi S. Øgrey – CEO of the Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association and Chair of the Ukrainian Media Fund Nordic
• Mogens Schmidt – Senior Adviser on Press Freedom and Media Development, Chair of IRMI Ukraine and former Deputy Assistant Director-General of UNESCO
• Ruth Kronenburg – Executive Director of Free Press Unlimited
• Tine Johansen – Principal of Brandbjerg Højskole and former President of the Danish Union of Journalists
• Andrea Roth – Vice-President of the Bavarian Journalists’ Association and member of the EFJ Steering Committee
• Anna Del Freo – Vice-President of the Association of Journalists of Lombardy and former member of the EFJ Steering Committee

Jennifer Moreau, Vice-President of the International Federation of Journalists and Atlantic Regional Director of Unifor, has also been invited to join the Council, subject to final confirmation from Unifor Canada.

About the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers

The nationwide network was established by NUJU in April 2022 with support from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). UNESCO Headquarters is a key partner of the network.

The Centers make protective equipment available free of charge for temporary use; provide safe workspaces with autonomous power and internet access; deliver safety training; and offer legal, psychological and emergency assistance, as well as remote consultations. They assist Ukrainian and foreign journalists, war correspondents, wounded and displaced media workers, freelancers, frontline newsrooms, and family members of journalists held in Russian detention.

NUJU’s priorities for 2026-2027 include expanding protection against drone threats, strengthening psychological resilience and preventing burnout, helping local and frontline media remain operational, and building a more sustainable nationwide safety network.