Yevhen Khrypun: “There is a firm understanding that equipment may be needed at any moment”

Yevhen Khrypun, the editor of the Mezhivskyi Meridian newspaper, occasionally goes on business trips closer to the zone of active hostilities. He has Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) accreditation. The protective equipment was provided to him by the Dnipro Journalists’ Solidarity Center of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

“In November 2024, I was filming a story about the work of humanitarian organizations in the Donetsk Region. Sloviyansk and Kramatorsk Districts. The equipment came in handy; without it, they could simply not let me into the filming location,” says Yevhen Khrypun.

The first such trips, he recalls, were back in April 2023 on the Zaporizhzhia Axis to Huliaipole together with volunteers. As a journalist with accreditation, there were questions and insistence that there should be protective equipment.

“We are approached by colleagues who travel to work in front-line or de-occupied territories. We provide them with a certified bulletproof vest and helmet, as well as individual first-aid kits for free rental. The 5-7 sets of protective equipment that we have are constantly in use,” notes the coordinator of the Dnipro JSC, Nataliya Nazarova.

Today, the Mezhivka Community, where the newsroom of Mezhivskyi Meridian is located and which borders the Donetsk Region, is included in the list of communities where active hostilities are possible.

“The front line is rapidly approaching 25-30 kilometers,” adds Yevhen Khrypun. “And, unfortunately, there is already a firm understanding that equipment may be needed at any moment.

So, equipment from UNESCO will protect the media workers both during business trips and in everyday journalistic work.

Please note that at the Dnipro JSC, you can temporarily borrow high-quality protective equipment – a bulletproof vest with a helmet branded with the inscription PRESS and a tactical first aid kit.

Rental is free of charge; only AFU accreditation is required!

Call the Dnipro JSC by dialing 050 919 8479 (JSC coordinator Nataliya Nazarova). The Center’s address is 8 Starokozatska Street.

ABOUT JSC

The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

ABOUT UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Dnipro JSC information service