The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine calls on international partners to enhance security, armor protection, and evacuation programs for Ukrainian journalists who risk their lives daily at the frontline. This was stated by the head of NSJU, Serhiy Tomilenko, as reported by 'Glavkom'.
The world has no right to remain silent when drones kill journalists. NSJU urges international partners to strengthen security, armor protection, and evacuation programs for Ukrainian journalists who risk their lives daily at the frontline, as stated in a post.
NSJU calls on all editorial offices operating near the frontline:
- Immediately review safety protocols.
- Take into account that the time 'to arrive in Kramatorsk and then go to the front line' is over.
- Plan work considering minimal time spent, dispersal of equipment, monitoring drone activity, alternative evacuation routes, and enhanced armor protection of vehicles.
- Act in constant contact with press officers and defense forces - with a realistic assessment of the risk every hour.
What is known about the killed journalists
According to NSJU, Alona Gramova (Hubanova) was a journalist from the Donetsk region, originally from Yenakiieve, who left her profession as a financier to become the voice of her region. Since 2021, she worked as a war correspondent for state international broadcasting channels of Ukraine. From the first days of the full-scale invasion - in the hottest spots of Donbas. In 2023 she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga III class.
Yevhen Karmazin, a cameraman from Kramatorsk, worked for Ukrainian international broadcasting channels since 2022. He was 33 years old.
Freedom emphasized in its statement: 'Alona Gramova constantly worked in the hottest spots of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, telling the world the truth about how Russian military forces are destroying her native Donetsk. She remained in Kramatorsk to show what its people are experiencing.'
Journalist of the Freedom channel, Olena Hubanova, and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin were killed. According to Vadym Filashkin, media workers from the first days of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation reported on the situation in Donetsk, telling the truth about enemy crimes, and the evacuation of civilians. They worked in the hottest spots of the region.
Later, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the murder of Freedom channel journalist Olena Hubanova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin by Russians. He expressed condolences to their relatives and wished recovery to their colleague who managed to survive.
NSJU calls for enhanced security measures for Ukrainian journalists who risk their lives on the frontline, emphasizing the importance of protection and evacuation programs for them. As a result of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, outstanding journalists who conveyed the truth about the horrific events in Donbas have already lost their lives.