Russia has committed 989 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine: 143 media workers killed during full-scale war – IMI
During the four years and eight months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 989 crimes against journalists and media outlets have been recorded. In the past month alone, the deaths of six media workers were reported, while Russian attacks damaged Ukrainian media offices and infrastructure.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) reported this, according to Censor.NET.
According to IMI, 12 new cases of adverse effects of Russian aggression on Ukrainian media were recorded between 24 September and 24 October 2026.
143 media workers killed since the invasion began
The deaths of six media workers were reported in October. Five had been defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Defence Forces, while one journalist was killed as a civilian.
Specifically, the death of Samuil Proskuriakov, who worked for UNN, Zaborona, hromadske and Babel, was officially confirmed. He had been considered missing since 2022.
The death of former Hit FM and TV-5 presenter Dmytro Khyzhniak, who went missing during a combat mission in 2024, was also confirmed.
Serviceman Oleksii Nurulin, who previously worked as a senior mechanic for a 1+1 media outside broadcast unit, died in hospital.
Vasyl Velychko, a former camera operator for the IRT-Poltava and Misto Plus television channels, was killed on 16 October, while serviceman and YouTube blogger Kyrylo Soloshenko was killed on 15 October.
Mariia Yivzhenko, a former journalist with NV’s Business desk, was killed as a civilian in a Russian strike on a business centre in Kyiv.
In total, 143 media workers have been killed since the start of the full-scale war, including 15 while carrying out their professional duties.
Russian attacks on media offices and journalists
In the settlement of Kushuhum, Zaporizhzhia region, a Suspilne Zaporizhzhia film crew came under attack from Russian FPV drones while documenting the aftermath of earlier strikes.
The journalists were unable to leave the settlement for more than three hours. One of the drones exploded near their vehicle.
In Zaporizhzhia itself, a Russian ballistic missile strike damaged the building housing Suspilne’s local branch. The blast wave blew out windows and doors. No employees were injured, as the premises were empty at the time of the attack.
In Kyiv, overnight into 19 October, a Russian missile damaged the editorial offices of the newspaper Zakon i Biznes. Windows were blown out, internal walls destroyed, and furniture and equipment damaged.
In Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Russian drones attacked the building of the Vizyt television channel. A fire broke out, and the premises and equipment sustained extensive damage.
The damage to its infrastructure forced the channel to temporarily suspend news production, although it remains on air. Seven employees were in safe locations during the attack and were unharmed.
Cyberattacks and disruptions to Ukrainian media operations
IMI also recorded instances of information attacks against media outlets.
In particular, unidentified individuals created a fake copy of NV’s website to spread false information about alleged NABU searches targeting the former head of the Defence Procurement Agency. An AI-generated video was circulated at the same time, which NABU described as fake.
In addition, Russian strikes on data centres, telecommunications facilities and other infrastructure in Kyiv on 26 September disrupted the operations of at least seven media outlets: Novyny.LIVE, Priamyi, Suspilne, Channel 5, Armiia TV, Kolo and Konkurent Ukraina.
The attacks temporarily interrupted terrestrial and digital television broadcasts, made websites inaccessible, and caused problems with video players and television signals.
