At least 25 Ukrainian journalists are being held captive by the Russians.
This was reported by the head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) Serhiy Tomilenko, as reports "Ukrinform".
The National Union of Journalists calls the captivity and detention of Crimean Tatar citizen journalists, including Vladyslav Yesypenko and Iryna Danylovich, in captivity. The occupying Russian authorities in Crimea detained them and are keeping them in prisons.
Journalists who were detained in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine after the start of a full-scale war are also in captivity. In particular, Viktoriya Roschyna disappeared after she went to fulfill her professional duty in the temporarily occupied territory.
Iryna Levchenko, who covered the events in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, is also being held captive by the Russians. UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khilyuk was captured by the occupiers in the Kyiv region and is being held in one of Russiaʼs prisons.
What is known about these journalists
The Russian FSB detained Yesipenko in Crimea on March 16, 2021. He is suspected of preparing terrorist attacks — allegedly explosives were found in his possession and he was collecting information for the interests of the Ukrainian special services. In February 2022, the Russian occupation court in Crimea sentenced “Radio Liberty” journalist Yesipenko to six years in prison. The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine called Yesipenkoʼs detention a propaganda action on the eve of the anniversary of the occupation of the peninsula. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands that Russia release the journalist. The EU imposed sanctions against six people in Crimea who violated the rights of Ukrainian journalist Yesipenko.
As for Dmytro Hylyuk, "Reporters Without Borders" published an investigation into his abduction by the Russians. It happened on March 3, 2022 in the village of Kozarovychy, north of Kyiv. Journalists received the testimony of at least five different people who saw Khylyuk in the pre-trial detention center in Novozybkov. They also claim that the Russians routinely torture and beat prisoners. The Russians accused the journalist of "Ukrainian propaganda and work against Russia." Russia assures that it knows nothing about the journalist.
On March 12, 2022б the editorial office lost contact with “Hromadske” journalist Viktoria Roshchyna. The day before, she was traveling from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol. Presumably, she was captured by the Russians.