THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Due to the intensification of shelling and the approach of the front line, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) appealed to Reporters Without Borders for assistance with the urgent relocation of the editorial staff of the Mezhivskyi Merydian newspaper from the frontline town of Mezhova. As a result of the appeal, the international organization provided financial support to each of the four editorial staff members to cover the costs of relocation, transportation of families and belongings, and settling in the new location.
Despite the shelling, Mezhivskyi Merydian continues to operate — its editor-in-chief, Yevhen Khrypun, regularly returns to Mezhova, located just 15 kilometers from the front line. For hundreds of residents, the printed newspaper has become not only a source of news but also a symbol of Ukraine’s presence in a community living under constant threat of attack.
The editorial materials are now located in different places: in Mezhova, on an evacuation bus parked at one of the ATPs in Dnipro, and in a rented room in Pidgorodne. However, Yevhen continues to work on a “five days on two off” or “four on three off” schedule, regularly returning to the frontline in Mezhova.
The editor left the necessary equipment for work in Mezhova, including a generator, a charging station, a bulletproof vest, and a helmet.
The relocation from Mezhova is taking place under drone attack quite chaotically.
“I understand: if the security situation does not change, it will be more and more difficult to work,” says Khrypun about the situation in Mezhova. “The russians are still advancing. In addition, in the fall, when the leaves fall, it is almost impossible to hide from the drones. On average, 40-50 FPV shocks arrive at the community every day…”
Yevhen doesn’t have his own car, so he hitchhikes – with military personnel, volunteers, and in three different cars- to deliver newspapers to people and collect material for new articles.
Logistics are becoming increasingly complex every day. “White Angels”, military personnel, police, and the State Emergency Situations Service (SESS) help to drive to Mezhova with fresh newspapers. The “Angels” truck, like many other cars, has already been attacked by drones several times. There are no completely safe highways from Mezhova to the “big land” anymore. Carriers have long stopped risking their lives and transport.
Readers appreciate Yevhen’s work: on Facebook, he receives between 6 and 8 million views per month. However, it is also challenging to monetize this work. In a frontline community, it makes no sense to conduct a subscription campaign: people do not know what will happen tomorrow. Of course, no one orders advertising either.
“Logic suggests that we abandon the printed newspaper, leaving the website and social networks,” says Yevhen. “But I cannot abandon the newspaper now. This means leaving the community without any information. And the people in Mezhova are waiting for a living newspaper. For them, the newspaper is a chronicle of what is happening: where the arrivals were, what was burned, and how they publish a humanitarian article. You see, everything started with the newspaper; it is the foundation of our publication. I came to Mezhivskyi Merydian to create a newspaper so that I can print and deliver it to the last person.”
The newsroom is balancing on the edge… The financial issue is the most difficult. Without external assistance, it is impossible to continue working. It was during the full-scale invasion that NUJU and organizations that had been supporting Mezhivskyi Merydian for the second year – the Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI, Ukraine) and its Swiss partners, Fondation Hirondelle – came to the rescue.
“Their support, the support of the IRMI and Fondation Hirondelle, has been crucial for our publication in recent years,” says Yevhen Khrypun. “Both financial and training–educational. It was they who directed us beyond the printed version of the publication… And that is why we, although painfully, but not critically, accepted the blow of evacuation and relocation, as our digital platforms are working at full capacity.”
After the drones hit the Mezhivskyi Merydian newsroom building, the IRMI announced a fundraiser to support the team, and the joint project of the IRMI and the Fondation Hirondelle helped finance the next six issues of the publication.
“Many colleagues from all over Ukraine responded, for which they are very grateful,” says the editor. “The NUJU joined us in a critical period for us, and together with Reporters Without Borders, having studied our situation, they helped with the relocation of the publication, renting housing for employees. Now we need to settle into a new place and not lose our small team: journalist Snizhana Salion, accountant Valentyna Ostapchuk, designer and NUJU member Natalia Vozniuk, and me.”
Ahead lies the completion of the relocation, settling into a new place, repairing the premises, and paying for utilities. But Yevhen Khrypun and his team are not going to stop. As long as people remain in Mezhova, the newspaper will reach them – despite drones, distances, and circumstances.
Maksym Stepanov
NUJU Information Service
Photo by Mezhivskyi Merydian
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