Latvian journalist goes on a vacation to visit Ukrainian cities together with volunteers

A journalist from the Latvian publication Zemgales Zinas, Gaitis Grūtups, has visited the Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) in Ivano-Frankivsk. The journalist from Latvia is in Ukraine for the second time. Last year, as well as this year, he came together with volunteers of the charity organization called Agendum from Riga, which brings cars for the needs of the Ukrainian army. According to Gaitis, since the full-scale invasion, they have already made more than ninety trips, and the total number of cars brought has exceeded a thousand.

Gaitis Grūtups shared an exciting story that happened to him on the way to Ukraine. In Poland, he met a Catholic media person with whom he talked about journalism.

“So, he said that a journalist, like an angel, has two wings. One is the truth, and the rest is hope. You must always tell the truth. If you don’t know something, say so, don’t embellish. But always give hope and offer a solution,” said Gaitis.

He also said that in 1994, he covered the then-military conflict in Sukhumi (Georgia). And now he has taken a week off to visit several of our cities with volunteers and tell everyone about the situation in Ukraine.

In the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, in addition to the Center’s employees, Gaitis Grūtups talked to media representatives-members of the NUJU from the Prykarpattia Region: general director of the RAI TV and radio company, Andrii Rusyniak; correspondent of the Espresso TV channel, Ivan Kharuk; Channel 5 journalist, Valentyna Pestushko from Kherson. The story by Valentyna about her work during the occupation moved Gaitis particularly. He was also thrilled to hear the stories of the associate professor of the Department of Journalism of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Halyna Prystai, and an IDP student of the department, Denys Satanovskyi.

Call the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC by dialing 066 677 0726 (Viktoriya Plakhta, the JSC coordinator). The Center is located at 25 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street.

As earlier reported, the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Ivano-Frankivsk JSC