Journalist Safety in the Age of Drones. IMI to hold discussion at b° future festival in Bonn

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) will hold a panel discussion titled “Journalist Safety in the Age of Drones. Lessons from Ukraine” as part of the b° future festival in Bonn (Germany) on 3 October.

The conversation will focus on how frontline reporting in Ukraine has changed in a situation where FPV drone strikes are a constant threat and “PRESS” labels no longer grant protection. Participants will share their first-hand experiences and reflect on the ways these risks have drastically limited journalists’ ability to show their viewers the reality of war.

Speakers:

• Diana Butsko, frontline reporter, hromadske;
• Patrick Enssle, freelance reproter, photojournalist, and documentarist from Germany, covering the Russo–Ukrainian war since 2022;
• Iryna Zemlyana, expert on journalist safety, Institute of Mass Information;
• Oksana Romaniuk, Institute of Mass Information Director (moderator).

Date: Saturday, 3 October, 13:00-14:00 local time.

Venue: Haus der Bildung, Großer Saal, Mülheimer Platz 1, Bonn, Germany.

Language: English. 

Admission by ticket.

Russia is targeting media and journalists

According to the Institute of Mass Information, Russia has committed no fewer than 966 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine in the course of the full-scale invasion. While in 2022 it was artillery that posed the biggest threat, by 2025–2026, drone warfare has become the dominant source of fatal danger: all three incidents of media workers being killed while reporting that were recorded by IMI after the invasion entered its fourth year were the result of drone strikes. IMI stresses that drones have become a tool of systemic pressure on freedom of expression, with strikes occurring not only along the front line, but also in areas away from it, where media crews film news stories on humanitarian or social topics. Wearing PRESS labels in zones where FPV drones operate no longer offers any protection and has instead turned media workers into targets for Russian forces, meaning that a reporter’s status as a protected person under international humanitarian law has effectively become a legal fiction.

How to boost protection of frontline reporters

IMI argues for journalists’ right to tactical anonymity and advocates for an overhaul of international humanitarian law, as well as for giving news teams access to drone detectors, which donors still often classify as dual-use goods.

The Institute of Mass Information has already purchased 27 drone detectors for journalists, funded by donations raised during a charity campaign initiated by the Kyiv Independent. Journalists planning trips to combat zones can borrow the equipment free of charge from IMI’s Kyiv office or from one of its regional Mediabazas. To do so, they need to fill out an online form. IMI provides media workers with body armour, helmets, first aid kits, drone detectors, and other crucial equipment.

Media workers have made use of IMI’s equipment more than 12,000 times since 2014.

The b° future festival is a European event focused on journalism and constructive dialogue, held in Bonn annually by the non-profit Bonn Institute. It combines a professional conference for media workers with events open to the general public. This year’s festival, the fourth one, is set to take place from 1 to 3 October 2026.

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a civil society organization specializing in the media, operating since 1996. IMI defends the rights of journalists, studies the media landscape and reports on media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation, and provides media workers with safety equipment for trips to combat areas (since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014).

IMI carries out the only monitoring study of freedom of speech in Ukraine, keeps a list of transparent and responsible online media outlets, and tracks Russia’s media crimes in the war on Ukraine. IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and runs a network of Media Hubs that provide journalists with unfailing support. IMI’s partners include Reporters Without Borders (RSF); the organization is also a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).