836 crimes against media and journalists committed by Russia in 3 years, 3 months of full-scale invasion
In the three years and three months since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 836 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine, as evidenced by the Monitoring Study of Russia's Crimes Against Journalists and the Media, which the Institute of Mass Information has been carrying out since the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The IMI recorded three crimes against the media and journalists committed by Russia in April—May. These were cyber attacks.
Four media professionals were killed in action in this period:
- Volodymyr Kotsur, sports journalist turned serviceman. His death was reported on April 29, 2025. He enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces following Russia's full-scale invasion. Volodymyr was a contributor to the news outlets Sports Express Ukraine, Ukrainskyi Futbol, and Komanda.
- Vyacheslav Kobrzhytskyi, service member and motorsports commentator with Setanta. His death was reported on May 1, 2025. Killed in action in Donetsk oblast.
- Vasyl Dovbush, former media professional at BC Lux and Channel 24 turned soldier. Killed while performing a combat mission near Mohrytsia (Sumy oblast) on May 6, 2025.
- Bohdan Lysenko, killed in action in Zaporizhzhia oblast on April 13, 2025. His reporting included dozens of articles in both national and regional media outlets such as Fakty, KP v Ukraini, Subota, Ekho.
A total of 106 media professionals have been killed by Russia in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, with 12 dying while reporting.
Russia's crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine
In this period the IMI recorded three cases of cyber attacks on journalists and media outlets. Ukrainian Pravda reported that malefactors had exploited their service for sending out letters to the UP Club and sent out an email with Russian spam on May 9. In the email sent on behalf of the UP, the Russians greeted Ukrainians on Victory Day, calling the occasion “our common Victory.”
On the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, which is celebrated on May 18, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center website for tracking Russia’s crimes was hacked. The organization said that the website posted articles telling the truth about the crimes committed against the Crimean Tatar people and informed the world about the current repression in the occupied Crimea.
IMI representative Valentyna Troyan received a phishing email with a malicious file attachment that collects data about the system.
Read the full monitoring study here.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian non-governmental media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.
The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).
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