Kyiv Independent community helps fund 26 drone detectors for front-line journalists

The Kyiv Independent community helped raise more than $24,000 through an online store collection launched to mark World Press Freedom Day, enabling the purchase of 26 drone detectors to help protect independent journalists reporting from Ukraine’s front lines.

The “No News is Bad News” collection was launched by the Kyiv Independent ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, with profits supporting the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Kyiv-based organization that protects journalists’ rights and safety.

Between April 21 and May 5, the campaign raised $9,182 through sales of the collection, which featured a T-shirt carrying the message “No News is Bad News” and a notebook reading “Press Freedom is Your Freedom.” The campaign also received $14,040 in additional donations, with a further $784 donated directly to IMI by Kyiv Independent supporters.

Together, these contributions enabled IMI to purchase 26 Vydun 7.5 drone detectors for independent regional journalists working near the front line. The equipment provides early warning of approaching drones, giving journalists crucial time to seek cover while reporting.

The campaign originally aimed to fund 20 detectors. The support from the Kyiv Independent community made it possible to fund six additional devices.

For journalists working in Ukraine’s front-line regions, drone attacks have become an increasingly serious threat. Natalia Chaika, a journalist with RIA Pivden, was among those who received a detector from IMI. She said the equipment is essential not only when reporting from areas close to the front line, but also when covering sites of Russian attacks and working around Zaporizhzhia.

IMI had been seeking funding for drone detectors for media workers for months before the campaign. According to the organization, many potential funders could not support the purchase of equipment intended for use in areas of active hostilities. The contributions from Kyiv Independent supporters helped make the project possible.

The campaign is one example of how the Kyiv Independent community extends beyond supporting our journalism directly. Through memberships, donations, purchases from our store, and other forms of support, our community helps us sustain independent journalism from Ukraine — and provide practical support to the people doing that work on the ground.

Our community is an essential part of the Kyiv Independent’s mission. It allows us to keep reporting from Ukraine and to support the broader ecosystem of independent journalism here. Consider joining the Kyiv Independent community and becoming part of what makes this work possible.