NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko meets with Zaporizhzhia journalists, talks to Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration’s head

“I am proud and grateful after meeting with Zaporizhzhia journalists and editors of front-line publications. Our colleagues are real heroes who risk their lives every day for the truth,” President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) Sergiy Tomilenko, who is currently visiting the Zaporizhzhia Region, wrote on Facebook.

Zaporizhzhia is currently a region of heightened danger. Most of the region is occupied, and the regional center suffers from shelling every day. But even in such conditions, local journalists continue their important mission.

Thanks to the support of international partners, the NUJU was able to revive a local newspaper for the front-line settlement of Orikhiv (Trudova Slava) and helps publish a newspaper for Huliaipole (Holos Huliaipillia).

During the meeting with Ivan Fedorov, the painful issue of the release of our colleagues from russian captivity was separately raised. At least six media workers from Melitopol are in the custody of the occupiers. Among them is Iryna Levchenko, a member of the NUJU/well-known journalist who was detained in May 2023. Since then, there has been no verified information about her.

Sergiy Tomilenko also spoke about all the current challenges facing journalists in the region on the air of the Zaporizhzhia TV channel, MTM.

“After three years of full-scale war, we are all exhausted. But we are doing everything possible to ensure that journalists remain in the profession. Because journalism during the war is not just information, it is hope for people in the darkest times,” concluded Sergiy Tomilenko.