The Institute of Mass Information’s (IMI) network of regional Mediabaza hubs hosted 183 events in 2025, which were attended by 3383 participants, IMI reports.
Media professionals used the hubs as co-working spaces 1605 times besides the classes. Journalists leased safety gear and equipment free of charge 196 times.
The Mediabazas in 2025
Most popular event topics included:
- casual networking (workshops with art therapy elements, stand-up paddle trips, picnics, round table discussions with local news teams);
- mental health supprot classes;
- responsible use of AI tools;
- social media management;
- funding diversification.
“The Mediabazas project has shown incredible resilience over the year. It was not funding or the locations that kept it together — although these components are also crucial — but regional communities, which have grown capable of mutual support and aid over the 3+ years that the project has been active,” IMI writes.
The Mediabaza network was also affected by Russian striks on civilian infrastructure in 2025. For instance, Mediabaza Dnipro was destroyed in a Russian air strike on 17 February. The resulting fire burned down the building where the hub was located. Mediabaza Dnipro has continued to host online events and is in search of a new office.
Mediabazas coordinator Pavlo Lisnychenko said that the network was productive despite the difficult year: it hosted a lot of training events for media professionals and grew to be a key source of support and working space for journalists, especially during blackouts.
“The year was challenging, but very productive for our network. Our 15 hubs managed to host a total of 183 events for more than three thousand media professionals. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, community building, storytelling, media management, stress and burnout management, public procurement, courtroom reporting… These are just a few of the topics discussed at our classes and webinars this year. In autumn and winter, when blackouts have become long and unpredictable, it is our hubs that give journalists an opportunity to work with a power supply, heating, and Internet connection,” Pavlo Lisnychenko said.
Journalists working at the Mediabaza during a blackout. Photo by Mediabaza Mykolaiv
The Mediabazas are a network of regional hubs created by the Institute of Mass Information in the autumn of 2022 to support the work of independent journalists amid Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine. The Mediabazas offer body armour and classes free of charge; a working space supplied with electricity and Internet connection, etc.
IMI’s Mediabazas are funded with the support from the European Union.
How to contact IMI Mediabazas
To join a Mediabaza event or lease equipment (safety gear or technology) free of charge, message the coordinator of your nearest Mediabaza on Facebook:
- Mediabaza Khmelnytskyi — Olha Zahoruyko;
- Mediabaza Cherkasy — Yelena Shchepak;
- Mediabaza Zhytomyr — Oksana Trokoz;
- Mediabaza Chernihiv — Pavlo Pushchenko;
- Mediabaza Kharkiv — Olha Kaplun;
- Mediabaza Poltava — Nadia Kucher;
- Mediabaza Zaporizhzhia — Natalia Vyhovska;
- Mediabaza Kropyvnytskyi — Pavlo Lisnychenko;
- Mediabaza Mykolaiv — Kateryna Sereda;
- Mediabaza Sumy — Alyona Yatsyna;
- Mediabaza Odesa / Kherson — Serhiy Nikitenko;
- Mediabaza Slovyansk — Maria Kucherenko;
- Mediabaza Chernivtsi — Tayisia Harmash.
Please note:
- Mediabaza Kherson only issues equipment;
- Mediabaza Slovyansk offers equipment for filming, video and audiostreaming;
- Mediabaza Slovyansk has a studio to record podcasts.
If necessary, contact the national Mediabaza coordinator Pavlo Lisnychenko via: 050 594 20 58 / [email protected]. If you need safety gear (a bulletproof vest, a helmet, a first aid kit) or some other equipment, contact the Mediabaza coordinator in your region or fill in this Google form: https://bit.ly/48pX9GZ.
