Editor-in-chief "Novosti Kramatorska" left Donetsk region. Editorial office under DPR’s pressure

Oleskander Tolstoguzov, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Novosti Kramatorska" (Kramatorsk, Donetska oblast) was forced to take his family and leave the oblast because of the pressure and threats from representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The newspaper’s editorial office was taken over by DPR; some of its staff agreed to cooperate with them under threats. Tolstoguzov left Kramatorsk on April 24.

The  newspaper’s website operated till May 8; it followed a pro-Ukrainian stance. 

But then, armed men came to the editorial office, threatened the staff and demanded that the journalists write about DPR only positively and about the Ukrainian authorities only negatively. 

So, Tolstoguzov decided to stop publishing the printed version of the newspaper and to close down the website. But in a week, the armed men came back and under a threat of death forced the remaining staff to restore the website and resume publishing of the newspaper. They also appointed a new editor – from DPR.