THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
Drone attacks, artillery fire, kidnappings… In 2025, Ukrainian and international journalists covering the russian war in Ukraine continued to be attacked by the russian military while doing their work. Since February 24, 2022, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has documented over 175 cases of abuse committed against journalists following russia’s large-scale invasion of the country.
As Pauline Maufrais, RSF’s regional manager for Ukraine, said: “International and Ukrainian reporters who have been tirelessly covering events in Ukraine since 2022, despite an extremely threatening security context, are showing remarkable courage. russia’s attacks on them are not abating… Since the beginning of the large-scale russian invasion, almost four years ago, RSF has documented more than 175 journalists who have been victims of abuses by russia that amount to war crimes. Their protection is essential so that they can continue their reporting.” In 2025, three journalists were killed by russian FPV drones — small devices equipped with explosives and a camera that transmits images to an operator in real time.”
According to RSF, the total number of reporters killed in the line of duty since 2022 has risen to 16 (the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) records the deaths of 21 journalists in the line of duty – Ed.), fifteen of whom died in Ukraine and one — Victoria Roshchina — during arbitrary detention in russia. On October 3 2025, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed by a russian drone in the village of Komyshuvakha. Twenty days later, Ukrainian journalists Aliona Hramova and Yevhen Karmazin, who worked for the state-run FREEDOM TV channel, were killed in a russian drone attack in Kramatorsk.
RSF recorded at least 53 cases of Ukrainian and foreign journalists being injured while reporting. In 2025, the increase in russian FPV drone attacks on the front lines became a major threat to many reporters. They were targeted by russia both in areas close to the fighting and in remote cities, and sometimes even in their hotels.
A total of 26 (according to the NUJU, 28) Ukrainian journalists are currently being held by the Kremlin. They are subjected to physical and psychological abuse in russian prisons and in occupied territories. In 2025, three Ukrainian reporters — Vladyslav Yesypenko, Dmytro Khyliuk, and Mark Kaliush — were released from russian prisons. Imprisonment in russia could cost them their lives: the Kremlin has still not made public the circumstances of the death in September 2024 of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina after more than thirteen months of imprisonment and torture, which became known as a result of a joint investigation published by RSF and the Ukrainian media outlets Slidstvo.info, Suspilne, and Graty.
Since February 24, 2022, the organization has documented 25 attacks on television and radio towers by russian armed forces as a result of bombing or occupation aimed at disrupting the dissemination of independent and reliable local information. In 2025, RSF recorded two new strikes on television towers in the cities of Dnipro and Chernihiv.
According to RSF partners, a total of 333 Ukrainian media outlets have closed since February 24, 2022, weakened by the collapse of the advertising market and the cessation of assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2025, RSF announced the launch of the International Fund for the Restoration of Ukrainian Media (IFRUM) in partnership with eight Ukrainian organizations to economically support the country’s media landscape.
Since 2022, RSF has filed ten complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, as well as two complaints in France against russia for war crimes committed against journalists and the media.
RSF’s support will continue in 2026.
Discussion about this post