…Recently, Polish volunteers who systematically help the Ukrainian military visited Krasnopillia, Sumy region. When they learned that a civilian newspaper was being published in the border, and thus the frontline, area of Sumy region, they decided to stop by and make sure it wasn’t a joke. It turned out, however, that it was true.
On February 23, 2022, the Peremoha newspaper was to turn 90 years old. The celebration was scheduled for Friday, February 25. Editors of all generations, colleagues from other newspapers in the area, and representatives of the National Union of Journalists from Sumy were invited. On February 24, the war broke out, and the editors delivered all the food prepared for the celebration to the local hospital.
“We decided that the food would be more needed there. Thus, the celebration of the anniversary of Peremoha was postponed ‘until after the Victory’,” the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Oleksandr Motsnyi, told the NUJU.
The newspaper has not been published in paper for a little over two months. However, the publication has a website, Krasnopillia – Krai Slobozhanskyi, and a Facebook page that has about 5,000 followers, so journalists have been reporting on current events online.
“Back then, people were especially thirsty for information. Even a message about which store had delivered bread received several thousand hits: people were afraid to leave their homes unnecessarily, and only went out when they knew that there was definitely bread there, and that they were distributing milk and humanitarian aid for free,” says Oleksandr Vitaliyovych.
Oleksandr Motsnyi
There were practically no russians in Krasnopillia itself because they passed through the village on February 24 in a column of several hundred vehicles in the direction of Sumy, and a few days later, after being repulsed, returned in tatters along the same road. For some time, there was a russian checkpoint at the entrance to Krasnopillia, but the Sumy territorial defense broke it down as well. The invaders moved to Trostyanets and Okhtyrka by a different route.
“That is, Krasnopillia was free of the occupiers, but cut off from the regional center,” the editor recalls. “When the russians were severely beaten in various directions, they fled as fast as they could, through fields, forests, and through Krasnopillia.”
However, regular shelling followed the attempted occupation. The shelling is constant, and more than fifty houses were destroyed in Krasnopillia. Therefore, the protective equipment provided by the National Union of Journalists came in handy, as well as the power generator.
“There were days when electricity was available for two hours a day, and in order to publish the newspaper, we had to go to work at night,” says editor-in-chief Oleksandr Motsnyi. “And what is night? It’s explosions. It’s a curfew. Moreover, our staff is mostly female. Now that we have received a generator from UNESCO and the NUJU, we have a great opportunity to make a newspaper – just have time to write. We no longer need to work at night.”
Philanthropists are also helping Peremoha, which is stubbornly fighting for its life.
“The editorial board is sincerely grateful to the NUJU, the Ukrainian Academy of Media Business, Ternopil and Kharkiv Press Clubs, the Public Interest Journalism Laboratory and the German ECMPF Foundation, IREX Ukraine and the Ukrainian Television and Radio Press Institute for their financial support of our publication in difficult times,” says Oleksandr Motsnyi. – “Participation in various projects, including grant programs, helped the newspaper survive and resume publication immediately after the de-occupation of our community, which is still in the combat zone.”
The Peremoha editorial office began to think about restoring the print edition as soon as the occupation of Sumy region was over and Ukrainian troops entered the village. The computer equipment was saved.
“Before the war, Ukrposhta (national postal operator of state ownership – Editor) did not have time to pay us for the subscription. We waited until the post offices resumed their work, received the money for the subscription, and got to work. Peremoha had been printed in Vinnytsia for some time, so as soon as we were able to produce the newspaper, the printing house agreed to resume cooperation with us,” says the editor. “We are sincerely grateful to the printing house for allowing us to pay off last year’s debt as we could. It saved us. Now we have paid off our debts and are working.”
However, the circulation has dropped from the pre-war 2,500 to 1,500 because many people have left, and some of the community’s border villages are under constant shelling. However, the newspaper is still published!
Almost all of Peremoha’s articles are about the war in one way or another. The news is both terrible and relatively optimistic. For example, recently in Krasnopillia a rocket hit people in the yard between two houses. The houses were destroyed, but the residents were amazingly lucky. A woman who was almost hit by a stove was pulled out of one house through a hole in the wall, and neighbors through a window rescued her husband. They were very lucky that they did not have time to hide in the basement, because the basement was destroyed. In the second house, on the contrary, people survived because they managed to go down to the basement – the blast wave literally threw them there and blew the house apart.
“A seemingly paradoxical thing: it is becoming easier to collect information about the war every month,” shares his experience Oleksandr Motsnyi. “Immediately after the de-occupation, people were afraid to talk to journalists: ‘Oh, I saw such things, sons… However, I won’t tell you – in case they come back…’ Some allowed them to write, but on the condition of anonymity. Now people have settled down a bit. They see the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they are more confident. Gathering journalistic information has become easier. Most people agree to talk and share their impressions.”
The local community and the Sumy District Administration help Peremoha a little bit, but their activities are not very well publicized in the border region, as there are almost no public events. Recently, revenues from advertising and classifieds have increased slightly. The Krasnopillia Forestry State Enterprise, the main budget-forming enterprise of the community, contributes significantly to the newspaper – it publishes advertisements and announcements about the sale of firewood, greetings, etc.
“The situation is worse in other border publications. Some say they expect to publish no more than 2-3 issues, and then they will have to close down,” says Motsnyi. “We hope for the best. We are not talking about laying off the staff: we need people to produce a quality newspaper. To increase the efficiency of our work, we want to buy a car: you can’t really ride a bicycle under fire… Someone might say that I dream too much. However, I believe that you need to set yourself goals that are more ambitious. And when you achieve your goal, you get great satisfaction!”
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This story about the media was created by the NUJU in the frame of the project «Improving Ukrainian Media Resilience in Ukraine», financed by Swiss Solidarity and implemented with the support of the Swiss non-profit organization Fondation Hirondelle and the Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI, Ukraine). Fondation Hirondelle and IRMI implement a project of institutional support for Ukrainian media editorial offices in the east, north and south of our country, with an emphasis on the local press. They also launched a 10-month support program for 18 media.
Economic reference
Krasnopillia newspaper Peremoha
Distribution area: Sumy district, starting from the second half of 2023 – Sumy region
Director: Oleksandr Motsnyi
At the outbreak of the war, the newspaper stopped publishing for two months, but since April 22, 2022, it has been published weekly, reducing the number of pages from 12 to 4.
It is distributed mainly among subscribers (91%). 4% is sold, and 5% is distributed free of charge. The newspaper’s distribution channels have not changed compared to pre-war figures: after the reopening of the editorial office and Ukrposhta in the community, distribution channels have also been restored. Currently, the main sources of media funding are subscriptions (54%) and commercial advertising (23%).
The average circulation of one issue in March 2023 was 1,300 copies.
Four full-time employees are currently working on the newspaper. Due to the difficult financial situation, the editorial office was forced not only to dismiss one employee, but also to reduce working hours, salaries, and the volume of the publication. The media outlet needs protective equipment to work in combat and emergency situations; psychological assistance and training, including in writing grant projects.
The editorial office was not damaged during the war, but the media needs to update the computer equipment used in production. In 2022, it received technical assistance (laptops, smartphones) and a generator from the NUJU, which allowed publishing the newspaper during power outages.
The publication has its own website and Facebook page.
“We don’t let the little man disappear from the pages of great history” is the slogan on the front page of the newspaper. With the outbreak of the war, these words took on a new meaning for the media, as the newspaper dedicates its materials to these ‘small’ people of the provincial Krasnopillia area who are now making great history.
THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
“There were days when electricity was available for two hours a day, and in order to publish the newspaper, we had to go to work at night,” says editor-in-chief Oleksandr Motsnyi. “And what is night? It’s explosions. It’s a curfew. Moreover, our staff is mostly female. Now that we have received a generator from UNESCO and the NUJU, we have a great opportunity to make a newspaper – just have time to write. We no longer need to work at night.”
Philanthropists are also helping Peremoha, which is stubbornly fighting for its life.
“The editorial board is sincerely grateful to the NUJU, the Ukrainian Academy of Media Business, Ternopil and Kharkiv Press Clubs, the Public Interest Journalism Laboratory and the German ECMPF Foundation, IREX Ukraine and the Ukrainian Television and Radio Press Institute for their financial support of our publication in difficult times,” says Oleksandr Motsnyi. – “Participation in various projects, including grant programs, helped the newspaper survive and resume publication immediately after the de-occupation of our community, which is still in the combat zone.”
The Peremoha editorial office began to think about restoring the print edition as soon as the occupation of Sumy region was over and Ukrainian troops entered the village. The computer equipment was saved.
“Before the war, Ukrposhta (national postal operator of state ownership – Editor) did not have time to pay us for the subscription. We waited until the post offices resumed their work, received the money for the subscription, and got to work. Peremoha had been printed in Vinnytsia for some time, so as soon as we were able to produce the newspaper, the printing house agreed to resume cooperation with us,” says the editor. “We are sincerely grateful to the printing house for allowing us to pay off last year’s debt as we could. It saved us. Now we have paid off our debts and are working.”
However, the circulation has dropped from the pre-war 2,500 to 1,500 because many people have left, and some of the community’s border villages are under constant shelling. However, the newspaper is still published!
Almost all of Peremoha’s articles are about the war in one way or another. The news is both terrible and relatively optimistic. For example, recently in Krasnopillia a rocket hit people in the yard between two houses. The houses were destroyed, but the residents were amazingly lucky. A woman who was almost hit by a stove was pulled out of one house through a hole in the wall, and neighbors through a window rescued her husband. They were very lucky that they did not have time to hide in the basement, because the basement was destroyed. In the second house, on the contrary, people survived because they managed to go down to the basement – the blast wave literally threw them there and blew the house apart.
“A seemingly paradoxical thing: it is becoming easier to collect information about the war every month,” shares his experience Oleksandr Motsnyi. “Immediately after the de-occupation, people were afraid to talk to journalists: ‘Oh, I saw such things, sons… However, I won’t tell you – in case they come back…’ Some allowed them to write, but on the condition of anonymity. Now people have settled down a bit. They see the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they are more confident. Gathering journalistic information has become easier. Most people agree to talk and share their impressions.”
The local community and the Sumy District Administration help Peremoha a little bit, but their activities are not very well publicized in the border region, as there are almost no public events. Recently, revenues from advertising and classifieds have increased slightly. The Krasnopillia Forestry State Enterprise, the main budget-forming enterprise of the community, contributes significantly to the newspaper – it publishes advertisements and announcements about the sale of firewood, greetings, etc.
“The situation is worse in other border publications. Some say they expect to publish no more than 2-3 issues, and then they will have to close down,” says Motsnyi. “We hope for the best. We are not talking about laying off the staff: we need people to produce a quality newspaper. To increase the efficiency of our work, we want to buy a car: you can’t really ride a bicycle under fire… Someone might say that I dream too much. However, I believe that you need to set yourself goals that are more ambitious. And when you achieve your goal, you get great satisfaction!”
********************************************************************
This story about the media was created by the NUJU in the frame of the project «Improving Ukrainian Media Resilience in Ukraine», financed by Swiss Solidarity and implemented with the support of the Swiss non-profit organization Fondation Hirondelle and the Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI, Ukraine). Fondation Hirondelle and IRMI implement a project of institutional support for Ukrainian media editorial offices in the east, north and south of our country, with an emphasis on the local press. They also launched a 10-month support program for 18 media.
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