MIA Zaporizhzhia journalist Oleh Shemchuk declared deceased

Oleh Shemchuk, a journalist investigator from Zaporizhzhia who went missing in action near Bakhmut in September 2022, has been declared deceased, reports the IMI representative in the Zaporizhzhia oblast.

This was announced by his professors from the Zaporizhzhia National Technical University, who cited Oleh's family. Natalia Ostrovska, an educator at the University, confirmed this information to the IMI representative.

The family has been searching for him all this time. However, on April 3, 2024, they were informed that Oleh had been declared dead.

The journalist's wake will take place in Zaporizhzhia today, April 4.

Oleh Shemchuk. Photo by Oleh Shemchuk on Facebook

Oleh Shemchuk, a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, went missing on September 15, 2022, while performing a combat mission near Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast.

Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Oleh Shemchuk was a member of the project "Nashi Hroshi. Zaporizhzhia", worked with the public organization "Zaporizhzha Center of Investigations" and with another investigative media oultet "Zaporizhzhia Investigation Project" (until 2022).

Oleh was also an aspiring writer. In November 2021, a few months before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Oleh published his first book "7 Days In This World".

According to the Institute of Mass Information, Oleh Shemchuk is the 76th media worker to die as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The IMI monitors Russia's crimes against the media and journalists in Ukraine. In the two years since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed 567 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine.