Ukrainian media continue working despite Russian air strikes, blackouts, and extreme weather, write Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who spoke to several news outlets in Kyiv.
RSF urged the international community to to step up economic support for Ukrainian media, notably through the International Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukrainian Media (IFRUM).
RSF’s Regional Officer for Ukraine Pauline Maufrais said that Russian attacks on energy infrastructure were threatening Ukraine’s entire media ecosystem.
“The courageous journalists who continue to work despite freezing temperatures in their offices and homes must receive longer‑term support to purchase the equipment they need to report in such dire conditions,” Pauline Maufrais stressed.
Hromadske Radio director Ruslana Brianska said that the situation had recently deteriorated for their news outlet and the broadcaster was operating in power-saving mode.
“If there is a complete power outage, we can only stay on air for a maximum of 6 hours,” Brianska said.
Although the radio was largely spared since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022 — its studios being located in a “critical‑infrastructure” building that benefits from relatively uninterrupted power — these days, the station’s operations are seriously restricted.
Russian strikes on energy infrastructure intensified in early January, amid an exceptionally cold period where temperatures dropped to nearly −20°C, directly affecting media outlets, RSF writes.
On 21 January, close to 60% of Kyiv’s residents were still without electricity, on top of water and heating cuts.
Yevhenia Motorevska, head of the War Crimes Investigations Unit at the English‑language outlet The Kyiv Independent, explained that because of power cuts, the temperature in their office fluctuated between 11°C and 13°C, making it difficult to work there.
She said that teams still choose to commute to the newsroom, where “the effects of strikes are still better than at home.”
Some reporters have faced three to four consecutive days without electricity; cuts are still occurring, which often go on for around 10 to 12 hours per day. Repeated strikes since last fall have exhausted the staff:
“Everyone is sleep‑deprived,” Yevhenia Motorevska warned.
Even though approximately 600,000 people have left Kyiv since 9 January, according to the Mayor of Kyiv, almost all of The Kyiv Independent team has stayed. The news outlet plans the premiere of a documentary in Kyiv in February.
“I hope it all goes well,” Yevhenia Motorevska said, noting that the team may face a forced departure if a total outage lasted more than five days.
Hromadske Radio — which is maintaining broadcasting albeit with reduced airtime — is seeking a backup office to continue operations during prolonged power outages in Kyiv.
This solution is vital to ensure reliable information reaches areas near the frontline and temporarily occupied territories that the station covers, said Ruslana Brianska. She stressed that despite the difficult situation journalists continued their work.
She explained that, unlike Kyiv and its suburbs, the situation in some regions close to the frontline can sometimes be better, “particularly in Kharkiv, where damaged equipment is repaired quickly and outages are less frequent.”
RSF notes that since the first Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in 2022 Ukrainian media outlets have had to adapt by acquiring power generators, power banks and charging stations. For instance, The Kyiv Independent bought additional batteries for its teams, making sure they were available both at the office and at employees’ homes.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI), partner of RSF, welcoms reporters in their generator-equipped media hubs in 14 regions across Ukraine.
Since the start of the full‑scale invasion, RSF has provided energy‑supply equipment to more than 200 media outlets in Ukraine.
As previously reported, Rebuilding Ukraine: Strong Media, Secure Investments, Transparent Recovery, an event marking the launch of the Independent Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukrainian Media (IFRUM), took place in London on 19 September 2025.
The Independent Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukrainian Media (IFRUM) was launched by the international watchdog Reporters Without Borders and Ukrainian media organisations: Institute of Mass Information, Lviv Media Forum, Detector Media, DII-Ukraine, Recovery Window, Media Development Foundation, the Association of Ukraine’s Independent Regional Publishers, and Suspilne Broadcasting. The Fund was financially supported by the European Union as part of RSF’s project in Ukraine.
It seeks to mobilise financial support for Ukrainian media outlets, pillars of the country’s democracy.
