Russia's invasion of Ukraine has so far killed 91 media workers, the Culture Ministry reported on June 6, a day marked in Ukraine as Journalists' Day.
"Ukraine is losing its most valuable asset - its people. Among them are journalists and media workers," acting Culture Minister Rostyslav Karandieiev said.
Another 30 media workers are in Russian captivity, Karandieiev said. This number includes Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who went missing in August 2023 and is thought to be held in Russian-occupied territory.
Hundreds of people who previously worked in the media have also joined Ukraine's Armed Forces, according to the Culture Ministry.
Among the journalists-turned-soldiers who have recently been killed in action are Petro Tsurukin, a former TV editor and host, Oleksandr Mashlay, the former editor-in-chief of the Pravyi Postup outlet, and Alla Pushkarchuk, who worked for Ukrainian outlets the Weekly and Chytomo.
Another recent death is that of Iryna Tsybukh, who worked as a media trainer and manager for Suspilne, Ukraine's public broadcaster, prior to the full-scale invasion.
Tsybukh was killed on May 29, days before her 26th birthday, while carrying out her work as a volunteer combat medic in Kharkiv Oblast. She had around 20,000 followers on Instagram and regularly appeared in the media, where she shared her experiences of the war and her work as a combat medic.
Karandieiev expressed "sincere gratitude to Ukrainian journalists and foreign media representatives for the contribution you make to our fight against the enemy, the formation of public opinion, and the strengthening of democracy."
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 100 journalists became victims of Russian crimes during the first two years of the full-scale war, while 11 were killed while doing their work.
Among these were also a number of foreign reporters including Arman Soldin, a French-Bosnian journalist who worked for AFP and was killed in a Russian Grad rocket strike in Chasiv Yar.
Kateryna Hodunova
