116 Ukrainian journalists have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion: Ministry of Culture
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, 116 journalists have been killed, and another 27 Ukrainian media workers are in Russian captivity. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of Culture, 18 journalists among the dead lost their lives while performing their professional duties. In addition, at least 26 civilian journalists and one military media worker are still being held in Russian captivity.
The National Committee of Ukraine for Cooperation with the UNESCO International Program condemned the illegal detentions, torture and murders of journalists, disinformation campaigns, as well as cases of technologically motivated gender-based violence against Ukrainian correspondents.
The Committee appealed to the international community to draw attention to “Russia’s systemic crimes against Ukrainian media workers”. Among the demands are an end to the persecution of journalists, the release of all imprisoned media workers, the creation of an effective international mechanism to hold accountable crimes against journalists, and the condemnation of attempts to “legitimize state propaganda under the guise of journalism.”
As a reminder, on October 1, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution calling on Russia to immediately release 26 Ukrainian journalists who are in captivity. The document also documents over 800 crimes committed by Russia against journalists and media institutions since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
The resolution is entitled “Journalists matter: the need to step up efforts to liberate Ukrainian journalists held in captivity by the Russian Federation” and was supported by 128 delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
