Nataliia Humeniuk has been dismissed from her position as the head of the Southern Defense Forces' press department, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces announced on April 19.
Humeniuk drew criticism from the Ukrainian media association Mediarukh for allegedly preventing journalists from properly covering Russian crimes in Kherson Oblast.
The General Staff's announcement did not mention the reason for Humeniuk's dismissal but said that the search for her replacement is underway.
Mediarukh sent a letter on April 16 calling for Humeniuk's replacement. The letter was addressed to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, and Chief of the General Staff Anatolii Barhylevych and carries 100 signatures of journalists and media workers.
The letter accused Humeniuk of denying journalists access to regions where she oversees the military's work with the media. It claimed that while Ukrainians and the world can witness Russia's efforts to destroy Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast or Ukrainian troops holding the line in Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, reporters cannot document the war in Kherson Oblast because of Humeniuk's obstruction.
In a comment for the Kyiv Independent, Humeniuk said that there had been no violations of rules on her part and that the "work has always been organized in accordance with operational safety."
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
