Radio Liberty correspondent Serhiy Horbatenko receives death threats after a video about Bakhmut

Serhiy Horbatenko, a war reporter with the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty project Donbas.Realii, faced violent threats and harassment on pro-Russian Telegram channels in Donetsk oblast. He posted screenshots of the threats and insults on Facebook, saying, "We know are doing things right when the occupiers and their minions have the correct reaction."

Screenshot by Serhiy Horbatenko

In a comment to the Institute of Mass Information representative Valentyna Troyan, Serhiy Horbatenko explained that the threats started coming after the Donbas.Realii video commemorating the second anniversary of the Russian occupation of Bakhmut.

“We showed that the city has long resisted Moscow, showed how beautiful it was before the full-scale invasion; showed that the massive shelling by the Russian troops has turned my hometown into ruins and now these ruins house rocket and barrel artillery positions; showed the May 9 propaganda posters and the 'drone parade' among the buildings completely destroyed by the Russian army. Of course, Russians and, I assume, Bakhmut residents who have fled to the Russian Federation responded to the video,” the reporter explained.

Serhiy Horbatenko. Photo by Serhiy Horbatenko on Facebook

He said that he perceives such comments as high praise for his work and the work of his colleagues.

“I take it calmly, because this is part of the war, as are the Russians' daily war crimes, as are the round-the-clock strikes on peaceful cities in Donetsk oblast and across Ukraine,” explained Serhiy Horbatenko.

He added that he does not plan to contact the police.

“In my opinion, it is both Russian bots and ordinary people who were either raised in the Soviet-imperial tradition as children or are crippled by Russian propaganda writing these things. Such attacks have happened before. For instance, followers of public Telegram groups in Kostyantynivka, Slovyansk, and Kramatorsk have written and still write similar things. Interestingly, some users replied to such characters, coming to my defense. I am very grateful to them for this!” said the correspondent.

In February, Radio Liberty war correspondent Serhiy Horbatenko released a poetry collection titled “Hypostases of Feather Grass,” which was published by Teren. He donated the revenues to two Ukrainian Armed Forces units.