Russian drones deliberately target journalists – head of NUJU
Serhii Tomilenko, head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), stated this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.
He stressed that Russian drones are now deliberately targeting journalists, meaning the "PRESS" marking increasingly signals not protection, but danger.
"International standards are about identification. The reality of war is about survival," Tomilenko emphasized.
According to him, the NUJU is already supplying frontline Centers of Journalistic Solidarity with drone detectors, which give people time to take cover before a strike.
Tomilenko discussed risks facing journalists in Ukraine with Jan Braathu, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, during a meeting in Vienna.
Among other topics was the detention of journalists in Russian captivity. Tomilenko proposed holding a screening in Vienna of the Ukrainian documentary "Liberate the Word," about journalists who have gone through Russian captivity and those still being held. He also spoke about frontline newspapers.
"Those published under shelling. Those delivered to communities without electricity and internet, maintaining people’s connection with reality. There is an idea to organize a separate event at the OSCE to present this unique Ukrainian experience," he said.
The NUJU head also thanked the OSCE representative for a mental health training organized for Ukrainian journalists in Zakarpattia region, noting that a new intensive course could begin as early as autumn.
Tomilenko also met with diplomats from the informal "Group of Friends of the Safety of Journalists in the OSCE" and with the team of the International Press Institute (IPI). At the IPI office, he placed the first Ukrainian message on the wall of global free speech slogans — a sticker reading "Journalists matter."
As Ukrinform previously reported, as of February, 119 media workers, including foreign journalists, have been killed as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: IMI
