The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, condemned the Russian drone strikes of 23 and 24 July, which caused severe damage to the Bilopilshchyna office (Sumy oblast) and injured one of the newspaper’s employees.
The statement to this effect was posted on X and shared on Facebook by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organisations in Vienna.
The OSCE Representative pointed out that this was the sixth time that Bilopilshchyna had been hit in a Russian air strike and wished the injured journalist a speedy recovery.
The OSCE also mentioned two other Russian attacks that have recently affected regional media outlets in Ukraine:
- Kordon.Media in Sumy (17 July);
- Inform.zp.ua in Zaporizhzhia (21 July).
“For the second time this month, I must reiterate: journalists and media workers have civilian status under International Humanitarian Law and shall not be targeted or attacked. The provisions of IHL must be adhered to,” the statement by the OSCE Representative reads.
As previously reported, the 23 July 2026 Russian air strike in Bilopillya, Sumy oblast, damaged the office of the local newspaper Bilopilshchyna.
On 2 July 2026, IMI’s chief press freedom monitor Kateryna Dyachuk raised the issue of Russia’s crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine during a meeting with OSCE’s Jan Braathu, and mentioned the need to update International Humanitarian Law.
In 2025, the part of the Bilopilshchyna team that relocated to Sumy due to intensified Russian shelling worked in the office space at IMI’s Mediabaza.
