Lubinets: Russia holds 26 Ukrainian media workers in captivity, Red Cross confirms detention of only one
The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, stated this during a roundtable titled "Resilience and Well-being of Ukrainian Media Professionals in Wartime," according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"In 2025, through the efforts of a large team working on the return of Ukrainian citizens – civilian hostages, prisoners of war, and children – we managed to bring back only three Ukrainian journalists," he said, specifying that he was referring to Dmytro Khyliuk, Mark Kaliush, and Vladyslav Yesypenko.
The commissioner noted that as of now, 26 journalists and media workers are being unlawfully held in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia.
"At the same time, through the International Committee of the Red Cross, we have received official confirmation of the detention of only one person. The rest are legally 'invisible' to the ICRC, which creates an additional obstacle both for their return and for the negotiation process," he said.
Lubinets also emphasized that media representatives regularly become victims of shelling and drone attacks, risking their lives not only while covering events on the front line but also in cities considered relatively safe. "According to Reporters Without Borders, during the war 175 journalists, both Ukrainian and international, have suffered as a result of actions by the Russian Federation. According to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, since the start of the full-scale war, 21 media workers have been killed while performing their professional duties," the ombudsman said.
As reported, from February 24 to March 24, 2026, the Institute of Mass Information recorded five crimes by Russia against media and journalists. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 901 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine.
