THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
In extreme weather conditions, under attack, and with power outages, Ukrainian media outlets are continuing to carry out their reporting mission. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which spoke to several newsrooms in Kyiv, applauds their courage and calls on the international community to step up economic support so they can continue their work in the public interest.
“Russian attacks on energy infrastructure are weakening the entire Ukrainian media ecosystem. These journalists, who are courageously continuing to work despite the freezing cold in their newsrooms and at home, need long-term support to withstand russian attacks and to acquire the equipment they need to carry out their reporting mission in these harsh conditions. RSF is calling on the international community to mobilize for Ukrainian media, including through the International Fund for the Restoration of Ukrainian Media (IFRUM),” said Pauline Maufrais, RSF’s regional manager for Ukraine.
“The situation has recently worsened, and we are now operating in energy-saving mode. In the event of a complete power outage, we can only stay on the air for six hours,” explains Ruslana Brianska, director of Hromadske Radio in the capital Kyiv. The radio station, which has remained relatively unscathed despite attacks on Ukraine’s power grid since 2022, thanks to its office being located in a building that is part of critical infrastructure, is now operating with limited capacity.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure intensified in early January, in the midst of an exceptional cold snap with temperatures approaching -20 degrees Celsius, and are directly affecting the media. The authorities declared an “energy emergency” in Kyiv. This particularly critical situation developed after the January 9 attacks forced the mayor to call on residents to “temporarily leave the city.” On January 21, almost 60% of the capital’s residents were still without electricity, not to mention water and heating.
Yevheniya Motorevska, the head of the war crimes investigation department at the English-language media outlet The Kyiv Independent, testifies:
“Due to constant power outages, the office is poorly heated — the temperature fluctuates between 11 and 13 degrees Celsius. It’s really hard to concentrate in such conditions. Despite everything, the team decided to move to the newsroom, since the situation at home for most team members is even worse. Some journalists suffered from power outages for three or four days in a row, and this still happens, often for 10 to 12 hours a day. In addition, the constant bombings that have been going on since last fall are exhausting the editorial staff: everyone is chronically tired,” notes Yevheniya Motorevska.
While, according to the authorities, almost 600,000 people have left the capital since January 9, almost the entire Kyiv Independent staff has remained in place.
“In February, we are planning the premiere of our new film in one of the cinemas in Kyiv. I really hope that everything will work out,” says Yevheniya Motorevska.
According to her, even if the forced departure still happens in the event of a complete power outage for more than five days.
The public radio, which continues its broadcast, reducing its airtime, is looking for a backup office that could function during long power outages. An important decision for the dissemination of reliable information also in frontline areas and in the temporarily occupied territories covered by the radio station, says its director, Ruslana Brianska. Unlike Kyiv and its suburbs, some regions near the front line are sometimes more damaged, according to Ruslana Brianska, for example, in the city of Kharkiv, where damaged equipment is quickly repaired, and therefore power outages are less common. This particularly difficult situation does not prevent the reporters interviewed by RSF from standing tall.
“We continue our work, and we are resilient,” Ruslana Brianska concludes on a positive note.
After the first russian attacks on energy infrastructure in 2022, which led to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for high-ranking russian officials, media outlets have been forced to adapt: generators, external batteries, and charging stations. For example, The Kyiv Independent has purchased additional batteries for its staff to use both in the office and at home.
Ukraine and russia rank 62nd and 171st, respectively, out of 180 countries and territories in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
Ukrainian organizations such as the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), an RSF partner, are also hosting reporters in warm media hubs equipped with generators in 14 regions of the country. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, RSF has sent power equipment to more than 200 media outlets in the country.
NUJU’s Journalists’ Solidarity Centers (JSC) operate in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Chernivtsi.
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