“Guided aerial bombs are a terrible thing” – downtown Velyka Pysarivka in Sumy Region destroyed, Vorskla newspaper newsroom and journalists’ residences damaged

Oleksii Pasiuha, the editor-in-chief of the Vorskla newspaper, miraculously survived the aerial bomb explosion, “He drove away literally 30 seconds before the explosion.”

Due to increased russian shelling of Velyka Pysarivka, Sumy Region, the editor-in-chief evacuated his family from the village and daily transported equipment and archives to relatives in the village of Hrun, Okhtyrka District. On March 14, he managed to make one trip and returned to take out a new batch of editorial archives and equipment.

“My car was parked between the post office and the newsroom,” says Oleksii Pasiuha in a comment to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine’s (NUJU) information service.

The russians dropped an aerial bomb on the post office when the editor was already 300 meters away in his car.

The blast wave destroyed the windows, balconies, and roof of the newspaper office.

“Our, our dear offices… We’ll be back!” commented the Vorskla editor-in-chief in a video recorded by the journalist after returning to his newsroom on March 15, the day after the explosion.

The residences of all Vorskla employees were also damaged, and the house of one of them was completely destroyed.

“Velyka Pysarivka is a border village with russia. Currently, there is practically no electricity supply, gas, and almost no communication. In the center, everything was destroyed – the clinic, the library, the post office, the court, the prosecutor’s office. Earlier, they were shelled with artillery, mines, and Grad MLRSes, but now – with aerial bombs. This is a terrible thing,” says the editor.

However, despite everything, the newsroom is still preparing the next issue of the newspaper for release.

“We have readers not only in Velyka Pysarivka but also in other settlements. They all need a newspaper and reassurance that our morale can’t be broken!” concludes Oleksii Pasiuha.

The NUJU expresses its solidarity with Oleksii Pasiuha. We admire your courage! Hold on! Journalists are important!

NUJU Information Service