Russia Commits 989 Crimes Against Journalists And Media Since Start Of Full-Scale War, IMI Says

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, this information was reported by the Institute of Mass Information

From September 24 to October 24, 2026, 12 new cases of negative consequences of Russian aggression against Ukrainian media were recorded, the report states.

According to the IMI, the deaths of six media professionals were reported in October. Five of them were defending Ukraine in the military; another media professional died as a civilian.

Two media professionals had long been considered missing in action while performing combat duties.

Samuil Proskuriakov, who worked for the UNN news agency, Zaborona, Hromadske, and Babel, went missing in 2022.

Dmytro Khyzhniak, a host at the Hit FM radio station and TV-5 television channel, had been considered missing since 2024.

Their deaths were officially confirmed in 2026.

Soldier Oleksii Nurulin, who worked as a senior mechanic for the 1+1 Media mobile television station, died in the hospital.

On October 16, Vasyl Velychko, a former camera operator for the“IRT-Poltava” and“Misto Plus” TV channels, was killed.

On October 15, Kyrylo Soloshenko, a soldier and YouTube blogger, was killed.

Maria Yivzhenko, a former journalist in the“Business” section of the NV publication, became a civilian casualty of the Russian attack on a business center in Kyiv.

According to IMI, 143 media workers have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 15 of them while performing their professional duties.

A film crew from“Suspilne Zaporizhzhia” came under attack by Russian FPV drones in Kushuhum, where they were documenting the aftermath of previous strikes. The journalists were unable to leave the village for over three hours; one of the drones struck near their vehicle, IMI reported.

As a result of a Russian ballistic missile attack on Zaporizhzhia, the building housing the“Suspilne Zaporizhzhia” branch was damaged: the blast wave shattered windows and doors. No employees were injured, as no one was inside the building during the attack.

On the night of October 19, the editorial office of the newspaper“Zakon i Biznes” in Kyiv was damaged by a Russian missile attack. The blast wave shattered windows, destroyed interior walls, and damaged equipment and furniture. No employees were in the building at the time of the attack.

Russian drones attacked the building of the“Vizit” TV channel in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, causing a fire and significant damage. Due to damage to equipment and infrastructure, the TV channel has temporarily suspended its news broadcasts, although regular programming continues. Seven employees were in safe locations during the attack, so no one was injured, the IMI noted.

Cybercrimes have also been reported.

Unidentified individuals created a fake“mirror” site of NV, from which they disseminated false information about alleged NABU searches at the former head of the Defense Procurement Agency's residence, while simultaneously spreading an AI-generated video that NABU called a hoax.

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As a result of Russian attacks on data centers, telecommunications, and other infrastructure in Kyiv on September 26, at least seven media outlets reported disruptions or temporary outages: Novyny, Pryamyy, Suspilne, Channel 5,“Army TV,”“Kolo,” and“Konkurent Ukraine.” Live broadcasts and T2 transmissions were temporarily suspended, websites became inaccessible, and problems arose with video players and the television signal, according to the IMI.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ruslan Rudukan, a soldier with the 153rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, journalist, and media designer, was killed in combat in the Zaporizhzhia sector.

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