Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

Journalist union president: At least 25 Ukrainian journalists remain in Russian captivity

by Martin Fornusek November 9, 2023 4:00 PM 1 min read
The head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Serhii Tomilenko, attends the presentation of the Letters from Afar duology by Borys Kutovyi, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 8, 2020. (Hennadii Minchenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia is holding at least 25 Ukrainian journalists prisoner, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 9, citing Serhii Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

"At least 25 journalists remain in (Russian) captivity. We are also referring to the confinement of Crimean Tatar citizen journalists in detention facilities as captivity," Tomilenko said during a press conference hosted by Ukrinform.

As examples of illegally detained media workers, Tomilenko named "Vladyslav Yesypenko and Iryna Danylovych, who had been unlawfully detained by Russian occupation authorities in Crimea and are now held in prison."

He also mentioned the captivity of Iryna Levchenko, who was abducted in May in occupied Melitopol, and Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist from the UNIAN news agency, who had been taken prisoner by Russian forces during the Kyiv offensive.

The head of the NUJU also reminded the case of Viktoriia Roshchyna, who disappeared on Aug. 3 in Russian-occupied territories.

The Prosecutor General's Office said that by June, 63 journalists from 14 countries, including Ukraine, had been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Opinion: In remembrance of a great mind who survived Russian captivity
Ihor Kozlovskyi (1954-2023) was a renowned Ukrainian writer, scholar, and theologian from Donetsk Oblast. He was captured by Russian proxies in occupied Donetsk in 2016 for his pro-Ukrainian views and subsequently subjected to torture for nearly two years in Russian captivity. He was released in Dec…
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

6:15 AM  (Updated: )

Russian drone strike in Mykolaiv kills 5, injures 1.

Four people were killed and one 45-year-old woman was hospitalized following the attack, Governor Vitalii Kim said. Search and rescue operations have reportedly been completed.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.