Ukrainian journalist receives 2024 Press Freedom Award from Reporters Without Borders

Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk was awarded the Press Freedom Award 2024 from the organization "Reporters Without Borders" in the "Impact" category. She emphasized that this achievement belongs to her entire team, which covers complex topics, in particular, the deportation of Ukrainian children from Mariupol.

The journalist reported that on Facebook.

Nataliya shared that the jury recognized The Reckoning Project, an initiative she co-founded. The project carried out investigations on Russian crimes in Ukraine, specifically the forceful removal of Ukrainian children from Mariupol.

^{Photo: Facebook / Nataliya Gumenyuk}

"A joint award for our team. Iryna Lopatina wrote the first article about the deportation at the initiative of Tata Peklun, and then the entire editorial team joined in," the journalist noted.

Key points of the speech

• Gratitude to the defenders of Ukraine

The journalist emphasized that the freedom of Ukrainian media is possible thanks to the military who defend the country.

• Attention to the occupied territories

She called on the international community to pay attention to the situation with Ukrainian journalists held in Russian captivity. She recalled the tragic death of journalist Vika Roshchyna and the fact that Russia has not yet returned her body.

• Working in wartime

As part of the event, a brief film was showcased featuring Ukrainian journalists Oleh Baturin and Anzhela Slobodian, who endured torture while in Russian captivity but have since resumed their work.

"For what I can do, I can work. First of all, I am grateful to Ukrainians and all those who are fighting on the front lines. Only thanks to them and those in Ukraine who work around the clock can my country and my society function. Therefore, most Ukrainian media outlets have not found themselves in exile; they can remain working inside Ukraine and be close to the people. And being close, being their voices, we can influence something," Natalya emphasized during her speech.

It is worth adding that in September and October 2024, Russia committed 27 crimes against the media and journalists in Ukraine: these crimes include murders, shelling, threats, cyberattacks, and legal pressure. In total, 91 media workers have died since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For reference:

The Ministry of Culture reports that there are currently 32 media representatives being held captive by Russia. Efforts are being made to negotiate their release.

Meanwhile, the "Crimean Human Rights Group" is aware of at least 18 media workers who are in Russian prisons. They are denied medical care.

According to reports, Russian forces allegedly captured journalists from Kherson and transported them to Crimea in 2022. The journalists were then accused of cooperating with the Ukrainian military. Additionally, after the occupation of Crimea, the number of media outlets decreased by 12-fold.

Recently, on the temporarily occupied left bank of the Kherson region in Kakhovka, Russian invaders kidnapped local journalist Zhanna Kyselyova.

Additionally, several journalists and managers of news channels on Telegram from Melitopol, located in the Zaporizhzhia region, which is currently under temporary occupation, are still being unlawfully held in prisons. They were arrested by Russian invaders one year ago.