63 journalists died in Ukraine as a result of the Russian war

Sixty-one died as combatants or as a result of Russian shelling or torture. As of the beginning of June 2023, according to compiled data, 63 media workers have died in Russia’s war against Ukraine since February 24, 2022.

The head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Serhii Tomilenko, told about it.

As Tomilenko said, 14 colleagues died while directly performing their journalistic duties, another 9 journalists are civilian victims whose circumstances and causes of death are being investigated. And another 40 media workers died, being in the ranks of the Armed Forces or law enforcement units, defending the independence of Ukraine with weapons.

According to the Institute of Mass Information, as of May 31, 2023, since February 24, 2022, ten journalists have been killed while performing their professional duties. Four of them are Ukrainian and six are foreign. Sixty-one died as combatants or as a result of Russian shelling or torture.

The French reporter became the 32nd victim of Russian aggression among journalists.

The chairman of the National Union of Journalists said that many Ukrainian journalists, without waiting for mobilization, voluntarily joined the army to defend their country.

“We do not in any way encourage mixing service in the army with being an independent journalist. These are fundamentally different things. People in the army obey military discipline,” Tomilenko added.

The head of the union said that 20% of Ukrainian media outlets report that their employees are mobilized to serve in the army.

In May 2023, Serhii Tomilenko spoke at the UN headquarters in New York, where he said that among the dead were “professional journalists, civilian victims, and media heroes in the ranks of the Armed Forces.”