THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Today, May 6, marks three years since veteran journalist Iryna Levchenko disappeared in the center of occupied Melitopol. Despite her advanced age and pensioner status, the Kremlin is holding her captive, making absurd accusations of espionage. Reporters Without Borders and Iryna’s colleagues demand the immediate release of a woman whose only “crime” is decades of dedicated work in the media.
As reported on the Reporters Without Borders website, three years have passed since the morning of May 6, 2023, when 64-year-old Iryna Levchenko was kidnapped in broad daylight on one of the streets of occupied Melitopol. All this time, she has remained a prisoner of the Kremlin, awaiting a trial that is constantly being postponed.
Letters from captivity and stages of suffering
“She is holding on,” her sister Olena says briefly. News from Iryna comes rarely: these are concise letters from the cell, which are only able to be conveyed to her relatives thanks to the efforts of volunteers.
Iryna’s path over these three years is a geography of repression in the occupied territories. At first, she was held in her native Melitopol. In 2025, she was transferred to a pre-trial detention center in occupied Donetsk, and this year, to Simferopol. Only in January 2026 did the occupiers officially accuse her of ‘espionage’ – a standard article that the Kremlin uses to silence journalists.
“Iryna Levchenko’s case is an example of the Kremlin’s systemic repressions, the aim of which is to destroy any independent voices. Even a retired journalist is arrested for her past professional activities,” emphasizes Pauline Maufrais, a representative of the RSF office in Ukraine.
Over 40 years in the profession
Iryna Levchenko is a landmark figure in Melitopol journalism. For over 40 years, she worked for her fellow citizens, in particular for the well-known Novyi Den newspaper. When russian troops entered the city in February 2022, Iryna made a principled decision to stay home.
Repressions overtook her and her husband a year after the start of the occupation. They were captured in the middle of the street; their relatives found out about it only a few days later. Iryna‘s husband was released in August 2024, after a year and a half of captivity, but Iryna still remains behind bars.
russia is the largest prison for journalists
Today, at least 26 Ukrainian journalists are held captive by the Kremlin. Russia has officially become the world leader in the number of imprisoned foreign (Ukrainian) media workers. The conditions in which they are held are often inhumane. A tragic reminder of this was the fate of Victoria Roshchina, who died in russian captivity in September 2025.
As of 2026, Ukraine and russia occupy 55th and 172nd places, respectively, in the World Press Freedom Index. Iryna Levchenko’s story is a painful testament to how dangerous journalism is today under occupation, and how important it is to continue the fight for each of our colleagues.
As earlier reported, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), together with leading Ukrainian human rights organizations, signed a joint statement on the systematic destruction of freedom of speech and persecution of journalists in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Discussion about this post