Journalist Iryna Stolbova: “The war has changed us. We are no longer the same as we were, and perhaps we won’t be the same again.”

On February 24th, the editor of the “Visti Barvinkivshchyny” newspaper couldn’t find a new issue for sale. With communication severed, Ukraine’s battle against Russian aggression began. For journalist Iryna Stolbova, it launched her fight to revive the print newspaper.

“Despair and fear” – that’s how Iryna Stolbova describes her feelings on February 24th. It was an unexpected situation that neither she nor her editorial team were prepared for.

— We had everything to live peacefully throughout 2022, providing information to our readers, but in a single moment, everything collapsed. The printing press didn’t respond to our calls for a long time. Later, in private conversations, we were told that Russian occupying forces had rolled the paper rolls into the yard, using them as barricades because the city was occupied. In rain and snow, that paper was left outside for a long time. We realized that we lost that paper. Then Mega Bank went bankrupt, and our business accounts were there,— starts the journalist.

Iryna continued the newspaper’s work online. The latest news was published on the publication’s website and social media. The audience grew daily, Iryna says:

— The website was functioning, and the group was active. We had around 6 thousand members in the group before the war. Now it’s almost 9 thousand. We felt the need for balanced and prompt information. We understood that people were relying on us. That they were waiting for us.

In April, Barvinkove (Kharkiv region) was one of the hotspots on the battlefield. Invaders attempted to seize the town and systematically destroy it. An artillery shell hit the building where the editorial office was located.

— Somewhere between April 15th and 20th, a projectile hit our building, where we rented two offices. Everything was scattered around there. Luckily, we managed to evacuate the archives and equipment. We had already evacuated at the beginning of April,— Iryna recalls. — I went to Blyznyuky. I have to thank a colleague. She was probably the first person who inspired me. She said, ‘Come on, get to work, you have stories to tell. So many human stories.’ So, I wrote my first piece for the ‘Novi Zhyttya’ newspaper in Blyznyuky. 

After the liberation of the Kharkiv region, Barvinkove returned to a somewhat calmer life. Nevertheless, the town still experiences problems with electricity and communication. The re-launch of the ‘Visti Barvinkivshchyny’ newspaper was only achieved in November. And now the newspaper is published every two weeks.

— I have to thank the NUJU. In November, we resumed the newspaper’s publication. We publish exclusively original materials. We write about the defenders who hold the line, about villages, about people,— our interlocutor says.

Now Iryna is trying to make up for everything she missed due to the war from April to November. She admits that during this period, she felt inner changes.

— You start to value and cherish your loved ones, friends, your favorite work, and friends. Even if they aren’t numerous because there’s a reassessment. The most important thing is humanity. Thank you very much to those who called, cared, and sympathized at that moment. With the beginning of the war, we changed. We are no longer the same as we were, and perhaps we won’t be the same again,— concludes journalist Iryna Stolbova.

This series, titled Executed Free Speech, is created as part of a project Drawing Ukrainian And International Audience’s Attention To Serious Violations Of Human Rights And Crimes Against Journalists And Mass Media By The Russian Federation,  which is performed by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, with support from the Swedish non-profit organization Civil Rights Defenders.

JOURNALISTS ARE IMPORTANT. Stories of Life and Work in Conditions of War is a cycle of materials prepared by the team of the NUJU with the support of the Swedish human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders.

#CRD