Kherson reporters working in the so-called “kill zone” (a dangerous area along the front line) have stopped wearing PRESS stickers and patches, says the Institute of Mass Information’s Kherson oblast representative Serhiy Nikitenko in his 2025 conclusion blogpost.
“Every media professional in Kherson is equipped with a drone detector, as working without one is unthinkable, and their own safety rules. Someone knows the hours when Russian drones are less active, someone builds their routes along ‘safe’ streets. Also, almost all media workers in the city ditched PRESS stickers in 2025,” the blogpost reads.
According to the IMI representative, the reason for the refusal to label oneself is that drone operators consider journalists a desirable target, as Russian Telegram channels have repeatedly asserted as they boast about the results of strikes on civilians.
“In Kherson, contrary to the rules, you cannot label yourself as a press representatve, because I myself have repeatedly found myself in situations where drones that were supposed to fly past you start searching you out instead because they spotted the word or photo equipment. I have had to hide under trees more than once. Once I even started praying because it hovered over me for so long,” Oleksandr Kornyakov told IMI in September.
The so-called kill zone (the area within reach of Russian drones) already includes the entire Kherson city. Despite this, dozens of local journalists continue to work in the city and surrounding communities.
IMI recorded targeted drone strikes at journalists in 2025: in October, three journalists were killed while reporting and two more were injured.