NGO Institute of Mass Information (IMI) has delivered crucial equipment to media workers more than 260 times in 2026. In total, IMI has provided critical equipment to media workers more than 12 thousand times since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.
In the first half of 2026, IMI delivered:
- bulletproof vests and armour plate carriers (33 times);
- helmets (32 times);
- first aid kits including CATs (31 times);
- tourniquets and ofther equipment for administering first aid and maintaining comfort and safety in emergencies (13 times);
- power stations and power banks (48 times);
- tactical ballistic eyewear (5 times);
- equipment to be used in IMI’s regional Mediabaza hubs (99 times).
“Each donated first aid kit or power station enables journalists and news outlets to continue working and reporting the truth about the Russian war on Ukraine. Independent journalism is one of the things that make Ukraine fundamentally different from Russia. I consider it a great achievement for Ukraine that even during a full-scale war, impactful investigations get released in our country, journalists ask difficult questions. A major task for IMI is to ensure that media workers have a better chance of coming back alive and that Ukrainian journalism stands out as a key pillar of our democracy,” said Institute of Mass Information director Oksana Romaniuk.
Bulletproof vests, helmets, and tourniquets were most popular among Ukrainian and international reporters, said IMI dafety equipment coordinator Nelya Ishchenko.
“War is changing, and threats faced by media workers are changing with it: today we have not just air strikes, mines, and blackouts, but also about drones to consider: reconnaissance drones, strike drones, FPVs. That is why in 2026, IMI continues to deliver safety gear, including plate carriers and bulletproof vests, helmets, and tourniquets, to media professionals. International media receive support as well — foreign journalists working in Ukraine can also count on our help. Simultaneously, IMI is developing a new vector: providing media workers with high-quality drone detectors,” said Nelya Ishchenko.
In April, The Kyiv Independent partnered with the Institute of Mass Information to launch a new merchandise collection, No News is Bad News, dedicated to protecting journalists covering Russia’s war against Ukraine. 100% of the profits of this collection will support the purchase of drone detectors for front-line reporters through IMI.
Since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014, IMI has issued critical equipment to journalists a total of 12 320 times, including:
- bulletproof vests and helmets (7007 times);
- first aid kits (1886 times);
- tourniquets and other first aid equipment, equipment for maintaining comfort and safety in emergencie (over 1120 times);
- generators, power stations, power banks (1280 times);
- other technology and safety gear, satellite phones, gas masks, sleeping bags, tactical ballistic eyewear, water filters, active headphones, gadgets for reporting, etc. (1028 times).
The Institute of Mass Information is able to provide critical equipment to media professionals thanks to the support from over 20 donors and partners, including:
- the European Union
- Internews Network (supported by USAID)
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- UNESCO
- IMS
- IWPR
- UCBI
- n-ost
- Gazeta Wyborcza
- Ukrainian gear manufacturers (e.g. the LDC — Lviv Defense Cluster)
- and many others.
How to get safety gear from IMI
To lease safety gear, personal first aid kits or other equipment for battlefield reporting in Ukraine from IMI free of charge, fill out the following form or contact the Institute of Mass Information’s regional hub network or the coordinator of your local 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;
- Mediabaza Dnipro — Kateryna Lysiuk.
If necessary, contact the national Mediabaza coordinator Pavlo Lisnychenko via:
- 050 594 20 58;
- [email protected].
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.
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).
