Freedom of Speech Barometer for August 2024

The Institute of Mass Information experts recorded 28 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in August, according to the monthly IMI monitoring “Freedom of Speech Barometer”.

Russia's crimes (19 cases) inlcuded murdering, wounding and firing at journalists, legal pressure, cyber attacks and disabling Ukrainian broadcasting.

The deaths of four media workers were reported during the month, one of which died while performing his task: Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the UK news agency Reuters, who was killed by a Russian missile strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24.

Freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in August 2024

Three media workers were killed in action:

• Volodymyr Chernyshov – a soldier and former cameraman for the Kropyvnytsky media outlet CBN. As of now, it has been reported that Volodymyr died from a mine injury during a shelling strike on Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk district, Donetsk oblast.
• Oleksiy Sapuha – a soldier and bird photographer from Mykolaiv, killed in action in Donetsk oblast on July 30.
• Bohdan Zatula – a Kharkiv-based Novyny.LIVE correspondent who had been conscripted. Bohdan enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces on July 31, 2024. The journalist was killed in a mass shelling strike in Dnipropetrovsk oblast on August 26.

According to the IMI, as of September 4, 86 media workers have died in Ukraine as a result of Russia's full-scale aggression, with 11 of those dying while reporting.

At least 4 journalists were injured in the Russian missile strike on Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24:

• Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey – a Ukrainian journalist for Reuters who was hospitalized in a serious condition;
• Daniel Peleshchuk – a Reuters journalist who left the hospital after getting treatment;
• Victor Sayenko – a Reuters journalist who received non-lethal injuries;
• Monika Andruszewska – a Polish journalist with the Rafael Lemkin Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine and a volunteer, who had cuts on her arm.
  

Furthermore, in late August the Russian troops targeted the car of the "1+1" filming crew led by the journalist Oleksandr Motorny with a drone. It happened as the team accompanied an evacuation bus near Pokrovsk. The explosion went off in front of the journalists' car. TSN says that the media workers were unharmed.

It was reported in August that Yevheniy Ilchenko, who had been arrested by Russia in Melitopol two years earlier for running a Telegram channel where Ilchenko reported on the Russian occupation of the city, had endured torture and forced labour, including digging trenches for Russian troops. Before the Russian invasion of 2022 Ilchenko was a lawyer in Melitopol. On May 3, 2022, he secretly launched a Telegram channel called @Mitopol. He stated his intentions clearly with the very first message, which announced: "Analysis, events and facts." At a great risk to himself, Ilchenko reported on the day-to-day life in occupied Melitopol.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) opened cases against 7 journalists, accusing them of illegally crossing Russia's border to report from Sudzha:

• Kordon.Media correspondent Olesya Borovyk (Ukraine);
• hromadske journalist Diana Butsko (Ukraine);
• CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh (USA);
• RAI journalist Stefania Battistini (Italy);
• RAI cameraman Simone Traini (Italy);
• 1+1 reporter Natalya Nahorna (Ukraine);
• DW correspondent Nick Connolly.

The websites of Ukrinform, Hromadske, Odesa Online, and the YouTube channel "How Not to Turn Braindead" suffered cyber attacks. The teams believe the hacks were connected to their reporting and perpetrated by Russia.

The IMI also recorded 9 freedom of speech violations that were not related to Russia's war on Ukraine. These included cases of violent threats, obstruction, restriction of access to public information, indirect pressure, cyber attacks and lawsuits against media outlets.

Restriction of access to public information was reported by:

• Zakarpattia journalist Olena Mudra, whose query was declined by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights;
• Poltava journalists, who complained that they were not invited to hear the City Council secretary Kateryna Yamshchykova's report on the year's work;
• the Kropyvnytskyi news portal "Hrechka", which reported biased attitude towards their team on the part of some City Council officials.

Violent threats were reported by the team of "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" (Poltava oblast), who said that the Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky had insulted their journalists and that they had filed a statement with the police, considering it as threats. The outlet's chief editor Lesya Lazorenko wrote: "At the next session after the article about the generator procurement was posted to the 'Kremenchutsky Telegraf' website, Vitaliy Maletsky once again resorted to discussing, condemning and threatening journalists, saying that 'in the Kryvushi community (where the Mayor lives) such publications can get your fingers beaten with a lead pipe.'"

"StopCor" reported an assault: the head of the State Migration Service in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Serhiy Sayiv, struck the camera of the journalists who approached him to get a comment. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has handed a suspicion notice to the official for obstructing the work of journalists.

"Vilne Radio" reported a cyber attack: they received a series of phishing emails signed as the tax service and the Security Service of Ukraine. All of the emails contained attachments that were recommended for download, which is typical of phishing attacks and suspicious.

Two Odesa media outlets, Channel 7 and USI, lost their funding, which resulted in the TV channel temporarily stopped broadcasting. However, the online outlet decided to keep reporting. According to the IMI's sources, these two media outlets are linked to the local businessman Adnan Kivan.

Read the full monitoring below:

Murder – 1

1. Reuters crew member Ryan Evans killed by the Kramatorsk hotel strike

24.08.2024 Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the UK news agency Reuters, was killed in a Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk, reports Reuters.

Evans was staying at the hotel as part of a six-person team when a missile hit it.

Other two journalists from the Reuters crew were injured and have been hospitalized. One of them was severely wounded.

"We are urgently seeking more information about the attack, including by working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and we are supporting our colleagues and their families," Reuters says.

Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He was 38.

"We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan's family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events around the world; we will miss him terribly," Reuters writes.

The three other members of the Reuters team who were in the hotel at the time of the strike are safe, the agency reports.

As reported earlier, the body of a UK journalist was retreived by emergency responders from under the rubble of a Kramatorsk hotel on the evening of August 25.

According to law enforcers, the casualties inlcuded four injured reporters: citizens of the USA, Germany, Latvia, and Ukraine. The injured journalists, aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, were provided with medical assistance. Two of them have been hospitalized, the others are being treated on an outpatient basis.

The National Police notes that Russia struck the hotel where a crew of foreign reporters was staying with an Iskander-M missile.

According to the IMI, Ryan Evans is the 85th media worker to die in Ukraine as a result of Russia's full-scale aggression.

Injuring journalists – 4

1. IMI source: Ukrainian journalist with Reuters Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey in a serious condition

24.08.2024 Reuters cameraman Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey was severely wounded by the Russian strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, a source reports to the Institute of Mass Information.

According to the source, Ivan is in a hospital in Dnipro. He is in a serious condition on IVL, and has undergone a surgery.

As reported earlier, the Russian missile strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk killed Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the British news agency Reuters.

The other two members of the Reuters team were injured and hospitalized. One of them was severely wounded. Reuters did not disclose their names.

According to law enforcers, the casualties inlcuded four injured reporters: citizens of the USA, Germany, Latvia, and Ukraine. The injured journalists, aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, were provided with medical assistance. Two of them have been hospitalized, the others are being treated on an outpatient basis.

The National Police notes that Russia struck the hotel where a crew of foreign reporters was staying with an Iskander-M missile.

2. Reuters journalist Daniel Peleshchuk leaves hospital after being injured in the Kramatorsk stike

24.08.2024 Reuters journalist Daniel Peleshchuk, who was injured as a result of the Russian missile strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, received medical assistance and has already been discharged from the hospital, Reuters reported on August 26.

"Our other colleague, Ukraine correspondent Daniel Peleschuk, was treated and has left the hospital," Reuters says.

The Russian missile strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, 2024 killed Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the British news agency Reuters. Other two members of the Reuters team were injured and hospitalized. Reuters cameraman Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey was severely wounded. He is in a hospital in Dnipro. He is in a serious condition on IVL, and has undergone a surgery.

According to law enforcers, the casualties inlcuded four injured reporters: citizens of the USA, Germany, Latvia, and Ukraine. The injured journalists, aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, were provided with medical assistance. Two of them have been hospitalized, the others are being treated on an outpatient basis.

The National Police notes that Russia struck the hotel where a crew of foreign reporters was staying with an Iskander-M missile.

The international watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the Russian attack and called for a thorough investigation to identify the culprits and prosecute them.

3. Polish journalist injured in the Russian strike on Kramatorsk

24.08.2024 Polish reporter Monika Andruszewska was injured by Russian shelling in Kramatorsk on August 24, as reported by Suspilne and announced by Monika Andruszewska on Facebook.

The journalist says that she was driving past the site of the missile strike.

"My personal first blood shed for Ukraine – just on Independence Day. After 10 yrs of war. An Iskander right next to me. I got a tattoo on my right hand where I have a drawing of cornflowers intertwined with a grain stalk, deliberately in the colors of the Ukrainian flag," she wrote.

The journalist also posted a photo of the damaged car: “This is a photo of a person who was just driving through Kramatorsk in the evening, and another one that illustrates the interior of their car. This is what any person may look like in any part of Ukraine, wherever the Russians decide to strike with missiles. Not on the front line – just around a Donetsk oblast city where, despite Russia's genocidal actions, life still goes on, there are cafes, beauty salons, children on playgrounds."

"You are just driving around the city. You are just living. This is enough for the Russians to try to kill you and hit you with an Iskander right next to the road you are driving on, or even in a civilian building located 20 meters away," the journalist wrote.

"I'll take care of the cuts, they're nothing. I will fix the tattoo. I will get the glass shards out of my hair and hand. The car is in trouble, I will have new windows installed, after all, it is not my first time. But I will continue to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Monika said.

According to the TVP, Monika Andruszewska has been working and doing volunteer work in Ukraine since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. She rescued 30 Ukrainians who came under fire while fleeing from the northern city Irpin in 2022.

She now works with the Raphael Lemkin Center for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine.

4. Another Reuters journalist injured in Russian strike on Kramatorsk hotel

24.08.2024 Another Reuters journalist, Latvian citizen Victor Sayenko, was injured in the Russian missile strike on Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, reports Delfi.

According to the media outlet, Sayenko's injuries are not life-threatening. The journalist has already informed his family about the incident.

Previously, Reuters has said that six of their staff had stayed in Sapphire Hotel.

The Russian missile strike on the Sapphire Hotel in Kramatorsk on August 24, 2024 killed Ryan Evans, a safety advisor with the British news agency Reuters.

Two more journalists with the Reuters crew, Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey and Daniel Peleshchuk, were injured.

Ivan Lyubysh-Kidrey was severely wounded. He is in a hospital in Dnipro. He is in a serious condition on IVL, and has undergone a surgery. Daniel Peleshchuk was treated and has left the hospital.

According to law enforcers, the casualties inlcuded four injured reporters: citizens of the USA, Germany, Latvia, and Ukraine. The injured journalists, aged 38, 40, 41 and 46, were provided with medical assistance. Two of them have been hospitalized, the others are being treated on an outpatient basis.

The National Police notes that Russia struck the hotel where a crew of foreign reporters was staying with an Iskander-M missile.

Firing at journalists – 1

1. Russia targets 1+1 reporters' car with a drone

30.08.2024 A Russian drone nearly hit the car of the "1+1" filming crew led by the journalist Oleksandr Motorny. It happened as the team accompanied an evacuation bus near Pokrovsk, TSN reports.

The footage shows that the explosion went off in front of the journalists' car. TSN says that the media workers were unharmed.

Kidnapping – 1

1. Creator of Telegram news channel in Melitopol forced into “slavery” by Russian occupiers – RSF

05.08.2024 While investigating into disappearances of several Ukrainian journalists in the Russian-occupied Melitopol, "Reporters Without Borders" (RSF) learned of Yevhenii Ilchenko, who was arrested for creating a Telegram channel that reported on the Russian occupation of his city.

Ilchenko has endured torture and forced labour, including digging trenches for his captors, writes the RSF.

Before the Russian invasion of 2022 Ilchenko was a lawyer in Melitopol. On May 3, 2022, without informing his family, Yevhenii launched a Telegram channel called @Mitopol. He stated his intentions clearly with the very first message, which announced: "Analysis, events and facts." llchenko took a great personal risk to keep the public informed despite his lack of previous journalistic experience, demonstrating a real commitment to reporting on the day-to-day life of his city and its inhabitants, the RSF reports.

llchenko’s reports were almost exclusively devoted to local news, as he covered supply problems in supermarkets, the presence of occupiers in the streets of Melitopol, and the corruption of certain local authorities in issuing traffic permits.

@Mitopol's last report was posted on 10 July 2022. Its images, which llchenko filmed the day before with his cell phone, show the long queues to obtain administrative documents that have become commonplace since the invasion. "The reality of occupation in the absence of Ukrainian authorities,"read Ilchenko’s caption, published at 8:02 AM.

Two hours later, four Russian soldiers in uniform came to Ilchenko's home. His apartment was turned upside down, and jewellery and documents were stolen. Ilchenko, who had been out for a walk, was arrested in his garden on his return on accusations of "terrorism."

Messages that Ilchenko managed to send to one of his relatives, which RSF has seen, described how he was first detained for several weeks in Melitopol with some 15 other Ukrainians. According to the messages, acts of torture were commonplace. Prisoners were regularly electrocuted, particularly on their genitals. Sometimes, the prisoners were driven into a forest, naked, at night, for a mock execution before being brought back, terrorised, to their jail. "I didn't crack, but not everyone is as strong," he wrote to his contact. The worst, however, was yet to come.

Starting in September 2022, after the Russians had suffered months of military setbacks, Yevhenii Ilchenko was subjected to forced labour. Photos sent by Ilchenko during his captivity, seen by RSF, show that he was forced to help build trenches for the Russian forces and clean their soldiers' weapons for several months. At the time, Ilchenko was held a few dozen kilometres from Melitopol, which was on the front line, near the Ukrainian village Verbove in the Zaporizhzhya region. Ilchenko also managed to send a photo of a fellow Ukrainian, shovel in hand, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison a few months after the photo was taken.

Arnaud Froger, Head of RSF’s Investigation Desk, says that this is the first case of slavery recorded by the organization in the forty years of defending journalism.

“Captured, tortured and then enslaved… This is the first time, in nearly forty years of defending journalism, that RSF has documented a journalist, blogger or whistleblower subject to total slavery and forced to participate in a war effort against their own country. Because this man chose to keep the public informed, he has not only been held captive for two years but forced into hard labour. We have gone from arbitrariness to barbarism. Yevhenii Ilchenko must immediately be released," says Froger.

Yevhenii Ilchenko returned to prison after several months of digging defensive lines for his captors. According to one of RSF's sources, he may now be held in Taganrog, in conditions that remain harsh. An ex-prisoner in Taganrog told RSF that walks are only allowed once every two months, and that the lights are always on in order to torture the prisoners.

Legal pressure – 7

1. FSB opens a case against an Italian journalist for reporting from Kursk region

20.08.2024 Russia’s Federal Security Service has opened a case against Stefania Battistini, a journalist with the Italian TV channel RAI who had reported from Kursk region with her cameraman Simone Traini, report RAI and the Russian media.

The FSB opened cases against them for illegal crossing of Russia’s border.

RAI took its journalists back to Italy, explaining the move by the need to "guarantee their safety and personal protection."

It was later reported that Russia’s special services (Russia’s border guard is subordinate to the FSB) had opened a criminal law case against them. Russian resources also reported that the ambassador of Italy had been summoned to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and announced "strong protest regarding the reporters’ actions." Italy’s Foreign Ministry responded that "Italian journalists are free to act independently of diplomats." The Italian mass media such as “Corriere del ticino”, “La Stampa”, “Corriere della Sera”, and many others also reported on the news.

In November 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the Italian journalist Stefania Battistini the Order of Princess Olha (III degree) "for significant personal contribution to enhancing interstate cooperation, support of Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and popularization of the Ukrainian state in the world." This was reported on the RAI website.

"I am truly honored as a public service journalist to receive the honor that President Zelensky wanted to give me as a war correspondent. This is an important recognition for the work that Tg1 and RAI have done in these 9 months to cover the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on the ground," Stefania Battistini said in response to the award.

Bakhmut, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv, Borodyanka, Bucha, other locations – Italian journalists visit Ukrainian cities that came under Russian fire or had been occupied by Russia, and their reports are seen not just by the RAI audience. Journalists share their experiences on social media. On their personal Facebook pages, Stefania Battistini and cameraman Simone Traini are supported by their colleagues, while pro-Russian subscribers call them "the Nazi Kyiv’s propagandists."

2. FSB opens a case against an Italian cameraman for reporting from Kursk region

20.08.2024 Russia’s Federal Security Service has opened a case against Simone Traini, a cameraman with the Italian TV channel RAI who had been reporting from Kursk region with his colleague, the journalist Stefania Battistini, report RAI and the Russian media.

The FSB opened cases against them for illegal crossing of Russia’s border.

RAI took its journalists back to Italy, explaining the move by the need to "guarantee their safety and personal protection."

It was later reported that Russia’s special services (Russia’s border guard is subordinate to the FSB) had opened a criminal law case against them. Russian resources also reported that the ambassador of Italy had been summoned to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and announced "strong protest regarding the reporters’ actions." Italy’s Foreign Ministry responded that "Italian journalists are free to act independently of diplomats." The Italian mass media such as “Corriere del ticino”, “La Stampa”, “Corriere della Sera”, and many others also reported on the news.

Bakhmut, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv, Borodyanka, Bucha, other locations – Italian journalists visit Ukrainian cities that came under Russian fire or had been occupied by Russia, and their reports are seen not just by the RAI audience. Journalists share their experiences on social media. On their personal Facebook pages, Stefania Battistini and cameraman Simone Traini are supported by their colleagues, while pro-Russian subscribers call them "the Nazi Kyiv’s propagandists."

3. FSB opens a case against a “hromadske” journalist reporting from Sudzha

22.08.2024 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened proceedings against the Hromadske journalist Diana Butsko, reports the Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti.

The FSB is also prosecuting the Ukrainian correspondent Olesya Borovyk (Kordon.Media) and the US journalist Nick Paton Walsh.

The FSB accuses the journalists of illegally crossing the border and filming videos near Suzha. The journalists face up to five years in prison.

Hromadske correspondent Diana Butsko responded to the news on Facebook:

"In our work at hromadske.ua, we have always been guided by the ethics of journalism and will continue to report on the war impartially yet honestly. I understand that the Russian security forces and their bots, who have written a bunch of death threats to me these days, don't like this stance."

She stressed that her outlet remains committed to covering Russia’s crimes in Ukraine and in other places where hostilities continue."The truth cannot be stopped. It has no borders," Diana Butsko says.

4. FSB opens a case against a “Kordon.Media” journalist reporting from Sudzha

22.08.2024 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened proceedings against the Kordon.Media journalist Olesya Borovyk, reports the Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti.

The FSB is also prosecuting the Ukrainian correspondent Diana Butsko (Hromadske) and the US journalist Nick Paton Walsh.

The FSB accuses the journalists of illegally crossing the border and filming videos near Suzha. The journalists face up to five years in prison.

In a comment to “Detector Media”, Olesya Borovyk said that she had been looking into what threat a case initiated in Russia might pose to her.

"I was advised to avoid trips to countries that are loyal to Russia. Because I can face real  trouble and real detention there if they declare me a wanted person," she said.

The journalist will study this issue in more detail with lawyers.

5. FSB opens a case against a CNN journalist for reporting from Sudzha

22.08.2024 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened proceedings against the CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh, who reported from Sudzha (Russia), reports the Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti.

The FSB is also prosecuting the Ukrainian correspondents Diana Butsko (Hromadske) and Olesya Borovyk (Kordon.Media).

The FSB accuses the journalists of illegally crossing the border and filming videos near Suzha. The journalists face up to five years in prison.

6. FSB opens case against a TSN journalist for reporting from Sudzha

27.08.2024 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a case against Natalya Nahorna, a Ukrainian journalist with the TV channel "1+1" reports "Mediazona", citing the pro-state media and the FSB's Public Relations Center.

Another case was opened against the DW correspondent Nick Connolly. They are accused of illegally crossing Russia's border as part of a group upon prior conspiracy (Part 3 of Article 322 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The prosecution was triggered by the journalists' reporting from Suzha (Kursk region) during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive aimed to counter the aggressor's actions.

On August 14, Natalya Nahorna's report from Sudzha aied on TSN. In the video, she showed the Russian flag, noting that "Ukraine's defenders have removed it from an administrative building in the Sudzha settlement" and that this flag would be sent to the Russo–Ukrainian war museum.

7. FSB opens case against a DW journalist for reporting from Sudzha

27.08.2024 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a case against the DW correspondent Nick Connolly, reports "Mediazona", citing the pro-state media and the FSB's Public Relations Center.

Another case was opened against Natalya Nahorna, a Ukrainian journalist with the TV channel "1+1". They are accused of illegally crossing Russia's border as part of a group upon prior conspiracy (Part 3 of Article 322 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

The prosecution was triggered by the journalists' reporting from Suzha (Kursk region) during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive aimed to counter the aggressor's actions.

On August 22, DW published Connolly's report from Sudzha. In it, the journalist visits the city accompanied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and talks to the locals, who say that they were left without electricity, water or phone connection.

Cyber attacks – 4

1. Founder of YouTube channel "How Not to Turn Braindead" says the channel is under threat of takedown (updated)

07.08.2024 Oksana Moroz, founder of the YouTube channel "How Not to Turn Braindead", says that her channel is under threat of takedown due to copyright strikes. She wrote about it on Facebook.

According to her, the channel received two strikes from Russian users on videos reviewing the animated show "Masha and the Bear".

In these videos, psychologist Kateryna Holzberg analyzes the show and points out parallels with the Russians' behavior in the war. Her words are illustrated by clips from the show. The videos are titled "'Masha and the Bear': Russian propaganda that damages childrens' psyche" and "'Masha and the Bear' vs. the Russian army. What do they have in common?"

"The channel is at 90,000 subscribers now. Four years' worth of work will be simply ruined. Telling the truth about Russians is not allowed – it's an infringement of the aggressor's copyright. YouTube being YouTube," she wrote.

Moroz added that she had already asked for help: "But if anyone knows some effective ways to handle this situation, text me, please."

In her comment to the IMI, Oksana Moroz said that they have received two strikes out of three. If they get the third strike, the channel will be taken down. The copyright strikes were sent by the producers of "Masha and the Bear".

The channel received the first warning on August 4. The video of psychologist Kateryna Holzberg explaining why the show is harmful was deleted. "For instance, she says that Masha behaves as if everything is allowed, does harmful things and faces no repercussions for it, and that this show is not good for children," she said.

Oksana Moroz adds that they illustrated all the psychological points with examples from the cartoon. "YouTube did not give us any warning. The video was deleted immediately. The notification said that now there would be no restrictions on the videos, but if you receive three strikes, and you already have one, then the channel will be taken down," the channel's founder said.

They received the second strike today, August 7. YouTube Shorts from their series "Information Hygien For Families" have been removed. In the videos, Oksana Moroz explained that the show promotes Russian propaganda, drawing on a New York Times article.

"So we have two out of three copyright strikes now. They came from the producers of 'Masha and the Bear'. And, accordingly, if there is a third strike, the channel will be blocked," said Oksana Moroz.

The author of the channel added that she contested the strike, "arguing that there was no infringement, that all this falls under fair use and rules of citation, that it is educational content."

"We'll see what happens," said Oksana Moroz.

2. Ukrinform reports overnight hack

14.08.2024 On August 14, Ukrinform repelled a hacker attack on their website, the media outlet reported on Telegram.

Ukrinform technicians say that the attack on the website began at 10:40 p.m. on August 14, and the load on the web server peaked at 10:47 p.m., which resulted in some visitors having problems accessing the website.

"In this period, the website received about 200 million incoming traffic packets, over 200,000 requests per second," Ukrinform noted.

By 10:52 p.m., the technicians managed to repel the attack, blocking the hostile requests, and the resource went back to normal.

The CEO Serhiy Cherevaty told the Institute of Mass Information that the news agency had grounds to believe that the attack was probably done by Russian hackers.

“The sources of incoming packets were from different countries on different continents. Ukrinform has reported the cyber attack to CERT-UA of the State Special Communications Service. The authorities are investigating and processing the incident at our request," Cherevaty said.

3. Russian hackers attack Odesa Online, post anti-Ukraine illustrations

14.08.2024 Russian hackers attacked the website Odesa Online on the night of August 23, the editor-in-chief Vitalina Pukhyr reported in a comment to the Institute of Mass Information representative in Odesa oblast.

According to her, the hackers edited several posts on the website, inserting illustrations with anti-Ukraine messages.

Vitalina Pukhyr says that in the first months of the full-scale invasion, the media outlet's website repeatedly went offline due to Russia's mass hacks. However, the editors installed new enhanced safeguards and has managed until now despite the continuing DDoS attacks on the website and attempts to hack the admin system.

"Unfortunately, tonight they succeeded, hacking one of our employees' accounts and editing several posts where they inserted pictures with anti-Ukraine messaging. There was also a link to the Telegram channel of a Russian hacker group engaged in anti-Ukraine operations," said the editor-in-chief.

She added that the technicians responded to the attack promptly and quickly resolved the issue.

"Right now the website is working as usual, all posts have been restored. I believe the Russian hackers' activity has to do with dates that are important for our country: the National Flag Day and Independence Day," says Vitalina Pukhyr.

4. Hromadske says their website was attacked

23.08.2024 The Hromadske team reports a DDoS attack on the media outlet's website.

"We are working on restoring it. Apologies for the inconvenience," the team says.

Hromadske editor-in-chief Khrystyna Kotsyra wrote on Facebook:

"Yesterday, the FSB opened a case against our war correspondent Diana Butsko. She had been reporting with Sudzha. Today, our website is under a DDoS attack."

At the time of this publication, the Hromadske website was accessible.

Disabling Ukrainian broadcasting – 1

1. Hromadske Radio unaccessible in Kyiv, Hirnyk (Donetsk oblast) due to power outages

26.08.2024 Hromadske Radio transmitters are not working in Kyiv and Hirnyk (Donetsk oblast) due to power outages, the Hromadske Radio editor-in-chief Victoria Yermolayeva reports on Facebook.

She adds that the broadcast is available in other cities. The transmitter in Mykolaiv is working on backup power.

"You can always access Hromadske Radio on the website and in our app. We will give live reports on all the consequences during the day, no changes there," Yermolayeva wrote.

Today, August 26, Russia mass-bombarded Ukraine with missiles and Shahed drones, causing powr outages in many oblasts. "Ukrenergo" has ordered to introduce emergency blackouts due to the Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH SITUATION IN UKRAINE FOR WHICH UKRAINIAN CITIZENS ARE RESPONSIBLE

PHYSICAL AGGRESSION

Threats – 1

1. "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" reports insults from the Mayor, contact the police

29.08.2024 The team of "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" (Poltava oblast) says that the Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky was insulting journalists and that they have filed a statement with the police, considering it as threats.

The "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" chief editor Lesya Lazorenko reported this on Facebook.

In early August, "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" released an article about a group of entrepreneurs that supplies the city authorities with power generators and buys up communal property. It was after that article, says Lesya Lazorenko, that the Mayor resorted to statements that the editors consider threats to journalists.

"At the next session after the article about the generator procurement was posted to the 'Kremenchutsky Telegraf' website, Vitaliy Maletsky once again resorted to discussing, condemning and threatening journalists, saying that 'in the Kryvushi community (where the Mayor lives) such publications can get your fingers beaten with a lead pipe,'" the journalist writes.

Lesya Lazorenko reported that the media outlet has contacted the police with a statement on violent threats.

In a comment to the Poltava representative of the Institute of Mass Information, Lesya Lazorenko said that she did not want to "forgive the Mayor any shameful attempt to belittle the role of independent mass media in the development of a democratic society."

"With the way our law enforcers and courts handle cases, we do not expect a quick result. Or any result. But every time the Mayor resorts to insults or threats, we will respond according to the current law. He should take responsibility for his words," wrote Lesya Lazorenko.

Lazorenko also said that on August 20, at an executive committee meeting, Vitaliy Maletsky threw an unpleasant statement at the "Kremenchutska Hazera" journalist Olena Semenova: "Haven't you worked at an information kiosk at the market?" That newspaper also filed a police report.

The IMI representative tried to get a comment from the Kremenchuk City Council press office regarding Lazorenko's statement, but was advised to submit a written query to the Council's executive committee, which the press office promised to answer.

The representative of the Kremenchuk police press office, Anna Vasenko, said in a comment to the IMI that they had received a statement from "Kremenchutsky Telegraf" today, August 29.

"The statement has been registered, it is currently being reviewed by the chief investigator. A procedural decision regarding the statement will be made within a day," commented Anna Vasenko.

Preclusion of legal journalistic work – 1

1. Head of the Ivano-Frankivsk State Migration Service obstructed the work of journalists

02.09.2024 The head of the State Migration Service in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Serhiy Sayiv, struck the camera of the journalists who approached him to get a comment. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has handed a suspicion notice to the official for obstructing the work of journalists.

According to the investigation, in July 2024, journalists from a news agency arrived at a resort complex in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. They wanted get the official's comment on his family members' wealth. The journalists introduced themselves and, holding a microphone with the name of the agency and a video camera in their hands, started filming.

The suspect did not answer the journalists' questions and deliberately struck the operator's video camera with his hand, damaging the camera.

The official was notified of suspicion on August 30 under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (preclusion of the legal professional work of journalists).

He faces a fine of up to fifty tax-free minimum incomes (850 hryvnias), up to six months of arrest, or up to three years in limited custody.

The measure of restraint for the suspect is being chosen.

As reported by Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk, the official in question is the head of the State Migration Service in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Serhiy Sayiv, and the journalists were with "StopCor". The incident between him and the correspondents took place on July 18, 2024 in Dzvyniach village. As "StopCor" writes, the official first hid from them, and later "lashed out" and knocked the camera out of the cameraman's hands; the camera "stopped working after the blow."

"Our group was performing an editorial assignment. We wanted to ask Mr. Sayiv some questions, primarily regarding his considerable real estate ownership. And also about the weekly meetings of his subordinates in that restaurant. We found Serhiy Stepanovych in the establishment during a business day. We began the conversation by introducing ourselves, showing our ID cards and a microphone with the name of our news outlet written on it. To which he reacted aggressively by attacking us and hitting our camera, which constitutes obstructing the legal professional work of journalists," correspondent Ihor Dotsenko said.

After the incident, the reporters filed a statement with the Bogorodchany police station No. 2, alleging an attack on journalists.

CENSORSHIP, TOPIC GUIDELINES, ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Access to information for journalists – 3

1. Access request from Zakarpattia journalist Olena Mudra declined by Commissioner

02.08.2024 The office of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights declined a request for public information filed by the investigative journalist from Zakarpattia, Olena Mudra. Olena Mudra reported this to the Institute of Mass Information.

In her request sent on July 25, the journalist asked for copies of the responses to the complaints she had filed to the Commissioner in 2022–2023 regarding the State Bureau of Investigation failing to provide public information to her. Mudra had complained to the Commissioner about the SBI's failure to report the number of criminal cases currently under pre-trial investigation.

"These replies, except the last one submitted this April, were not sent to my email address, which I always list in my complaints. Overall, I usually learn that the appeal was successful from the body I complained against," she said.

The journalist submitted the request to [email protected], having signed it, scanned it, and signed the pdf version digitally in the Diya app.

"In one letter to the Commissioner, I sent the archive, signed with a digital signature, and the request in PDF. As I usually do with most of my requests," Olena said.

This week, she received a reply from a representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, who refused to provide the requested information.

"The information contained in the requested copies of the documents concerns you personally, that is, the requested copies of documents contain your personal data. […] Your request dated 07/25/2024, does not include details of the identity document, which makes it impossible to identify you,” says the reply signed by Yulia Derkachenko, the Commissioner's representative for information rights.

"The requested information was not provided to me because the documents contained my personal data, and I myself could not be identified. According to the manager, my 'request dated 07/25/2024 does not include details of the identity document.' In their refusal, they also cited Clause 8, Part 1, Art. 7 of the Law 'On the unified state demographic register and documents confirming the citizenship of Ukraine, verifying a person's identity or special status', which defines which data are considered 'details of a document issued to a person,'" said Mudra.

The Commissioner's office recommended the journalist to contact them again with a request that meets the requirements of Art. 16 of the Law "On Protection of Personal Data" if she wants to receive the requested information containing her personal data.

Calling the hotline, Olena was told that she could mail a complaint about this refusal or a new request through Ukrposhta with all the necessary documents included. Yet, the Commissioner's official website says that the requester can choose the way in which to submit their request, i.e. by mail, fax, phone or e-mail.

"However, in practice, everything turns out to be different. When I called the hotline, I was told that inquiries or complaints made over the phone are recorded but not actually processed. Therefore, I can mail a complaint about the refusal I received or a new request by Ukrposhta, attaching all the necessary documents," the journalist said.

"I am angry and upset at the same time. It seems that by the Commissioner's logic, and seeing as they refused a request digitally signed through Diya, I must personally come from Uzhgorod to Kyiv with my passport and a request that they provide me with answers to my complaints, which, by the law, should have been emailed to me in the first place. Because, even if I send them a copy of my identity document as listed Art. 16 of the law attached to my request, they may still have doubts about my identity, since they don't see me in person," Olena Mudra commented.

Earlier, in September 2023, unknown persons tried to access the Telegram profile of Olena Mudra, an investigator journalist from Zakarpattia, twice. She believes this has to do with her reporting.

2. Poltava journalists say they were not invited to hear the City Council secretary report

17.08.2024 Poltava journalists say they were not invited to hear the City Council secretary Kateryna Yamshchykova's report on the year's work. Yamshchykova assumed the position on August 16, 2023, reports Nadia Kucher, the IMI representative in Poltava oblast.

"Suspilne Poltava", "Poltavshchyna", "My – Poltava", "Zmist", and "Poltavsky Visnyk" were not invited to hear the report (the latter newspaper learned about the event independently and came uninvited). The media workers who were invited did not have the opportunity to ask questions either live or through the YouTube webcast.

In a conversation with the IMI representative in Poltava, the journalists who were not invited to hear the report said that the event had not been announced in the work group chat. The media workers call the situation "really surprising", since after her appointment as the City Council secretary, Kateryna Yamshchykova had told them that the city authorities would be transparent and open to journalists.

"There was no announcement about the report. We learned about it after the fact. There were no mentions or invitations in the chat with the City Council press service. Then we learned that some 'convenient' media outlets were present. Obviously, it was those who could provide a 'warm bath' and not those who could ask critical questions. Today's situation, unfortunately, showed Ms. Kateryna's 'openness', which she talks about so often," said "Suspilne Poltava" Karina Moskalenko.

In her comment to the Poltava representative of the IMI, the head of the Poltava City Council press office, Maryna Serova, said that the announcement of Kateryna Yamshchykova's report was posted on the Poltava City Council website.

"There was an online livestream on the City Council's official YouTube channel, which is accessible to all, including the mass media and the public. A presentation of the report is also available, it has been posted to the City Council's website," said Maryna Serova.

"The livestream was not private, everyone could watch it on the City Council's website. The only thing is that there were some sound issues, because the room was not suited for streaming. They tried to fix it, but it didn't work, that's why the sound was bad in the livestream," said Anastasia Matsko, a "Poltavska Khvylia" journalist, who was present at the event.

However, a "Poltavshchyna" representative, journalist Eduard Tkachenko, looked into the timestamp of the post on the Poltava City Council website and concluded that the announcement of the report "was most likely published after the fact." As a web developer and IT specialist, he found that the news with the announcement of Yamshchykova's report had the index 3140. It was chronologically followed by posts with smaller numbers: 3136, 3137, 3138, 3139. This suggests that the announcement of Kateryna Yamshchykova's report was published after the fact.

The press service of the Poltava City Council promises to organize a press conference for journalists regarding the report, where Kateryna Yamshchykova will answer all the journalists' questions, for next week.

3. Kropyvnytskyi's "Hrechka" reports biased treatment by City Council officials

19.08.2024 Journalists of the Kropyvnytskyi news portal "Hrechka" say they experienced what they perceived as a biased attitude towards their team on the part of some Kropyvnytskyi City Council officials. This was reported to the IMI representative in Kirovohrad oblast by the editor Tamila Deliurman.

According to the editor, the current situation is best illustrated by communication, or rather the lack thereof, with the city's education department.

According to Tamila Deliurman, the management ignores the outlet's attempts to get at least minimal verbal comments. The head of the department, Larysa Kostenko, does not answer phone calls either from the journalists' personal numbers or from the editorial office's number. The official can not be contacted through the landline number of the education department's reception office.

"In early July, our outlet wanted to report socially important information such as when the school year would begin and how the education process would be organized. I personally tried to call Larysa Kostenko to get a comment. She didn't pick up the phone," says the editor.

The journalists contacted the department's chief of mass media relations, Serhiy Yakunin, for help. He said that Kostenko was on vacation and would be back in three days. After another contact attempt, "Hrechka" was told that the official still had made no answer to the question.

Even several weeks later, no one shared information with the media outlet.

Instead, the report about the beginning of the school year, and later about the education process, was released by another Kropyvnytskyi news outlet.

"In a conversation with a colleague from this outlet, I learned that Ms. Kostenko shares information on their request directly in a messenger app, no need to contact the press office. I turned to Serhiy Yakunin to clarify why that was and when we could expect to receive the information. To this he replied (on the same day when our colleagues were releasing a news item with the official's comment) that Kostenko was on vacation again, and noted: 'You should analyze why she isn't picking up the phone,'" sums up the "Hrechka" editor Tamila Deliurman.

The "Hrechka" team believes that such a selective approach to communication with journalists indicates a deliberate obstruction of their outlet's reporting, as it has repeatedly published critical material about the department's work.

The IMI representative tried to get a comment from Larysa Kostenko herself. However, it was impossible to contact the official on her work phones. This and other similar situations will be discussed at a meeting between the Kropyvnytskyi mass media editors and the City Council secretary, initiated by the IMI representative in Kirovohrad oblast.

INDIRECT PRESSURE

Financial pressure on the media – 2

1. Odesa's Channel 7 suspends broadcasting

02.09.2024 The Odesa channel 7 temporarily suspended their broadcasting starting September 1, as announced on their website on August 31.

"Dear readers and viewers of Channel 7. Starting September 1, we will be taking a break in our work. Thank you for being with us, and we hope to tell you more about the interesting events in peaceful Odessa and Ukraine!" wrote the channel's team.

The management of the TV channel did not comment on the reasons for the suspension, reports the regional representative of the Institute of Mass Information.

At the same time, several journalists of the channel anonymously told the IMI representative that this decision had come as a surprise to the entire team.

However, they were sympathetic to the management, considering the war and the funding cuts that have crippled the regional media market. The owners promised to the journalists that they would receive their last payments on time and would be invited back in case the broadcasting is resumed in the future.

Channel 7, which belongs to the local businessman Adnan Kivan, has already shut down for several months at the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022, but later resumed their work, after an overhaul and downsizing.

2. Odesa's USI loses funding but decides to keep working

02.09.2024 The funding for the Odesa news website USI (Ukrainian Information Service) has been suspended, but the outlet's team decided to continue its work, the USI editor-in-chief Tetyana Milimko reported in a comment to the Institute of Mass Information representative in Odesa oblast.

"We did not expect such a decision, even though we understand that the big war makes it impossible for us to plan or expect anything at all. Thank you for enduring these years. It was difficult, many things were done on enthusiasm alone. I believe that it is not the right time to shut down a mass media with a years-long history," said Milimko.

She also stressed that creating high-quality content in Ukrainian is crucial in view of the current information war. "We have to keep working, even unpaid. We have to maintain the Ukrainian agenda in our South, and do it well," added the editor-in-chief.

Despite the difficulties, the USI team already has plans for the future, including a rebrand, developing a new strategy, creating an updated news platform and developing their social media.

Tetyana Milimko stressed the importance of support and of finding new investments, while emphasizing their desire to remain an independent media in Ukraine's South.

She says that the website has received support from many journalists from various publications who were willing to share their work for free. "It's very touching," Milimko concluded.

As reported earlier, Odesa's Channel 7 temporarily shut down on September 1. According to the IMI's sources, these two media outlets are linked to the local businessman Adnan Kivan.

ONLINE PRESSURE

Cyber attacks – 1

1. "Vilne Radio" receives phishing emails with senders posing as the tax service and SBU

22.08.2024 "Vilne Radio" has suffered a series of phishing attacks targeting the media outlet's corporate email, reports the radio station's executive director, Anastasia Shybiko, in a comment to the IMI.

According to Anastasia Shybiko, at least four suspicious letters with attachments that could be malware were sent to the station's main inbox on August 5–16.

The first email arrived on August 5 and was signed "Solomyansky District Tax Inspection of the Kyiv Tax Service HQ". Then, on August 9, two more letters from the "tax service" arrived from different e-mail addresses. On August 12, the outlet received an email from the "Main Office of the Security Service of Ukraine", and on August 16 – one ostensibly from PrivatBank.

Shybiko stressed that these letters were sent to "Vilne Radio's" main corporate inbox.

Anastasia Shybiko has received similar emails to her personal inbox as well, but paid them little attention.

All of the emails contained attachments that were recommended for download, which is typical of phishing attacks and suspicious.

"The suspicious addresses and names of the senders are not found through Google search, and the addresses clearly do not belong to the authorities mentioned in the letters," Shybiko says.

In her opinion, the PrivatBank letter, where email address appears plausibly authentic, is the most suspicious, as it raises concerns about the bank's security system.

The "Vilne Radio" executive director notes that the emails often addressed her as the "head of the NGO Vilne Radio", which is incorrect, and used multiple font sizes, while stressing that the message is strictly confidential.

"The Solomyansky STI has nothing to do with us, and the SBU's demand to provide the NGO's documents also sounds strange," she added.

Anastasia Shybiko suggests that this phishing attack may be related to the activities of Russian cybercriminals, offended officials or simply trainee hackers trying to hack a website, e-mail or infect computers with viruses.

Earlier, hackers mimicked the Ukr.net website to steal email accounts.

The state computer emergency response team CERT-UA, operating under the State Special Communications Service, recorded attacks by the hacker group UAC-0102 in July. The hackers aimed to steal the Ukr.net accounts of government employees, military personnel, and employees of Ukrainian enterprises and organizations.

They attempted this by sending emails with attached archives containing an HTML file. After opening the file, the recipient would end up on a phishing website that mimicks the Ukr.net page. If they signed in with their login and password, the data would be sent to the hackers and a document would be uploaded to the victim's computer to divert attention, noted the SSCS.

LEGAL PRESSURE

Frivolous lawsuits against the media – 1

1. Portnov wins against Hromadske in first instance court. Hromadske appeals

08.08.2024 On August 6, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv city ruled in favour of Andriy Portnov, the ex-deputy chief of Victor Yanukovych's administration, who sued hromadske over the investigation "How they robbed us of Crimea: exclusive records".

Hromadske says they disagree with the ruling and are appealing it.

The court ordered Hromadske to retract the information reported in the investigation and to take the investigation down from their YouTube channel, and all materials related to it from their website and social media.

The court also ruled that Hromadske must pay UAH 170,357 in legal fees and UAH 14,534 in court fees on Portnov's behalf.

Hromadske disagrees with the court's ruling and is filing an appeal. The editors believe that none of the statements that Portnov asked the court to refute were reported by their outlet. According to the author of the investigation, Yaroslava Volvach, all of Portnov's claims were related to remarks taken out of context.

"The unscrupulous judge of the Pechersk District Court, Oleksiy Sokolov, deemed so officially by the Public Council of Integrity, ruled in favor of the ex-deputy chief of the Yanukovych administration, who at that time used to supervise the judiciary, being a member of the High Council of Justice. Unfortunately, this is not a story from 15 years ago, it is still part of our reality today. And Andriy Portnov stays true to himself. This is another lawsuit where he opposes independent journalists. And wins in spite of common sense. And for some reason it is happening in the Pechersk court," the investigator said.

She also emphasized that the grounds for journalists' assumptions about Andriy Portnov's alleged involvement in the processes related to the occupation of Crimea were laid out in the investigation, which was based on records from 2014.

On February 15, 2024 former deputy head of the presidential administration, Andriy Portnov, sued hromadske for their investigation "How they robbed us of Crimea: exclusive records". The investigation was released on December 27, 2023, and is based on audio recordings from around 2014.

In the lawsuit, Portnov claims that Yaroslava Volvach, head of the outlet's investigative journalism department, called him a "pro-Russian figure, collaborator, traitor, Russia's henchman." Portnov also says the journalists alleged that "the plaintiff oversaw the occupation of Crimea in Russia's interest."

According to the plaintiff, this means that the journalists "reported that A. V. Portnov had committed treason."

The author of the investigation, Yaroslava Volvach, called Portnov's allegations manipulative.

"I did not claim that Portnov was a collaborator, a traitor or a pro-Russian figure, I just asked a question: can he be considered that? My first reason for this was to highlight the absurdity of the Pechersk District Court's judgement, which sided with Portnov in the lawsuit against the 'Anti-Corruption Center' and forbade the use of these words in relation to him. As for the key issue that Portnov avoids in his lawsuit, it is the tapes that testify to his possible involvement in processes related to the occupation of Crimea, and this issue should be examined by the law enforcement," said the journalist.

DEFENDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH

The authorities' response to freedom of speech violations – 1

1. Odesa court gives suspended sentence to a man who threatened a journalist

29.08.2024 The Illichivsk District Court of Odesa oblast sentenced Russian national V. L., born in Zhovtyi Yar (Odesa oblast), to one year in prison with a probation period for threatening to break the camera of journalist Roman Varshanidze while the journalist was filming the man's arrest after a traffic accident.

The judgement was passed on August 23, 2024, reports USI.

The court convicted the defendant of committing a crime under Part 1 of Art. 345-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Threat or violence against a journalist").

The conflict that triggered the proceedings happened in the February of 2024 in Ovidiopol (Odesa oblast). The police stopped V.L. for violating traffic rules. He refused to show his ID, insulted the police officers and threatened them with "the head of the traffic police having a talk with them."

The "Alternativa.org" chief editor Roman Varshanidze, who happened to be at the scene, filmed the incident. As he was filming, V.L. hurled racist insults at him and threatened to break his camera, which the journalist took seriously.

As Roman Varshanidze told the regional representative of the Institute of Mass Information, he immediately filed a statement with the police.

"Unfortunately, the police did not register the statement in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, so on February 29, I complained about the inaction of the Ovidiopol police in court. On April 30, the investigating judge of the Illichivsk City Court satisfied my complaint and ordered them to register my statement in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations. This resulted in the beginning of proceedings over threats to a journalist," Varshanidze said.

During the court hearing on August 23, the defendant pleaded guilty and the court approved the plea agreement reached earlier between him and the investigators.

During the probation period, the convict is required to report to the authorized probation authority regularly and to report any changes in his place of residence, work, or study.

On June 27, 2024, the "Alternatyva.org" chief editor (Odesa oblast) Roman Varshanidze reported threats from an unknown person who claimed to be a Defense Intelligence representative.

Lawsuits filed by journalists – 1

1. Vsim.ua wins the appeal in the lawsuit by a Khmelnytskyi City Council official

29.08.2024 The Khmelnytskyi Court of Appeal heard the appeal filed by the local media outlet Vsim.ua (Mediaholding "Vsim") and granted it, overruling the first instance court's judgement and the supplemental ruling in the defamation lawsuit by the Khmelnytskyi deputy mayor Vasyl Novachok.

The court of appeal passed its judgement on August 27, 2024, reports Alyona Bereza, the Institute of Mass Information representative in the oblast who attended the hearing.

The court also rejected the plaintiff's claim and charged hem nearly 2.5 thousand hryvnias in court fees.

Upon their exit from the deliberation room, the panel of judges only announced the resolution part of the ruling; the full text will be prepared within five days, starting the day after the announcement of the summary judgment.

The resolution enters into force on the day it was passed and can be appealed in the cassation procedure within 30 days after the full court ruing is drawn up.

In late May, the Khmelnytsky District Court satisfied part of the lawsuit filed by the Khmelnytsky Deputy Mayor Vasyl Novachok against the local media outlet Vsim.ua. The court ruled that the information in the outlet's article was unreliable and violated the plaintiff's non-property rights to respect for honor, dignity and inviolability of business reputation. The court also ordered the publication to delete the article and retract the information reported in it in the same way in which it was distributed, and to formally apologize. The media outlet must also pay the plaintiff 5 thousand hryvnias in moral damages.

On June 13, 2024 the court passed a supplemental judgement in the case, satisfying the plaintiff's claim for moral damages compensation in part and ruled to charge the media outlet 20,000 hryvnias in legal fees and over 2,200 hryvnias for trial expenses.