“Ukrainian journalists are people who never give up” – NUJU photo exhibition opens in Milan

A photo exhibition of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) titled Ukraine: Journalists in War Zones has opened in Milan, at the Lombardy Association of Journalists (ALG). Eighteen photographs tell the story of colleagues who document the war instead of running away from it: working on the front lines, among civilians under fire, under drones and missiles. At the same time, the exhibition is a memory of journalists who were killed or imprisoned by russia for performing their professional duty.

The opening was accompanied by a large-scale conference on war journalism in Ukraine, jointly organized by the ALG and the Order of Journalists of Lombardy. More than 100 journalists from the region took part in the event — in the hall and online.

NUJU President Sergiy Tomilenko told his Italian colleagues about the network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centers (JSC) — six locations across Ukraine where journalists can receive assistance, equipment, consultations and support. He also drew attention to new security challenges: journalists going to the front increasingly rent drone detectors — a few minutes of warning can save lives.

Italian participants also spoke about the realities of war journalism. Andrea Nicastro, a war correspondent for Corriere della Sera, joined the discussion online from Israel, where he is on a business trip.

“Ukraine is a big country in every sense of the word… Sometimes it seems to us that technology solves everything. But imagine a situation when communication and electricity disappear. And then only a journalist remains — there, at the scene of the events,” he emphasized.

The discussion was also attended by Gigi Donelli, the editor and war correspondent for Radio 24, who has been covering Ukrainian issues for many years.

Ukrainian journalist and fixer Oksana Bybliv, who helps international media work in Ukraine, described the essence of the profession during the war:

“The work of a journalist in war is a movement against the flow. While everyone is trying to get away from danger, the journalist is trying to get closer to it in order to tell the truth.”

She also recalled the change in security rules: today, journalists are often advised not to wear the PRESS badge – because it makes them a visible target.

The organizer of the program in Milan was Anna Del Freo, the vice president of the ALG and a long-time friend of Ukrainian journalists. Anna visited Ukraine, met with journalists in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernihiv and other cities. It was her words that became the leitmotif of the meeting: “Ukrainian journalists are people who never give up.”

During the event, Sergiy Tomilenko handed over the NUJU flag to ALG President Paolo Perucchini as a symbol of professional solidarity between journalists from the two countries. Paolo Perucchini promised to place it in the association’s office.

“Milan is talking about Ukrainian journalists!..” Sergiy Tomilenko wrote on Facebook. “It is very important for us that the stories of Ukrainian journalists are heard on such authoritative international platforms. Because war is, first of all, the story of the front. But it is also the story of people who risk their lives so that the world knows the truth. And very often, these are journalists.”

NUJU Information Service

Photo: Facebook / Sergiy Tomilenko