Ukrainian journalists urge global media not to look away from Russian aggression
Firefighters and medics evacuate an injured person after a projectile hit a residential building in the city center, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 28, 2026. (Alex Babenko / Getty Images)
on GoogleUkrainian journalists on Nov. 2 appealed to their international colleagues to keep Russian aggression in the spotlight and to urge their leaders not to appease Moscow.
"We speak to you from a country where every morning begins with checking whether our families and friends are still alive. This appeal is a desperate attempt to warn you," journalists said in a video appeal.
The address comes as cities across Ukraine face relentless Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure, killing and injuring Ukrainian civilians on a daily basis.
Russia has also begun its campaign against Ukraine's energy and water grids, leading to prolonged power outages and depriving cities of water supplies.
"You may think the war in Ukraine has stopped or is about to end. But the war is still raging. Russia's genocide and ecocide continue."
In the joint address, journalists also warned against the distortion of facts and against underestimating the threat that Moscow poses beyond Ukraine.
"In your coverage, one can read that striking Russian oil refineries is supposedly 'madness and a disgrace'," Ukrainian journalists said in their video appeal.
"But is killing people with ballistic missiles not a disgrace? And is destroying bridges, schools, and hospitals not madness?"
They stressed that it is up to their foreign colleagues to "prevent politicians from lifting sanctions, from allowing (Russia) to rebuild its strength."
"We urge you not to remain silent. The courage of politicians depends on journalists."
In October, U.S. President Donald Trump waived key sanctions against Russia and announced a diesel deal between Washington and Moscow, while pressuring Ukraine to halt strikes against Russian oil refineries.
The statement warned against treating the Russia-Ukraine war as a distant matter that does not impact the rest of the world, and against repeating mistakes of history by appeasing an aggressor.
"Fellow journalists, do everything in your power to prevent your countries from siding with evil," Ukrainian journalists said.
