Vira Hyrych worked as a producer for RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service until April 28, 2022, when a Russian missile hit her home in Kyiv, killing her instantly.
She is one of dozens of journalists killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine has suffered tens of thousands of civilian casualties during the last three years of fighting.
Among them, at least 117 media members have lost their lives during Moscow’s ongoing attacks on the country, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
One of them was Viktoria Roshchyna, a former freelancer for RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service who died in Russian captivity in 2024. When the 27-year-old’s body was returned to Ukraine this year, it showed numerous signs of torture and was missing internal organs, according to reports.
Other journalists have been victims of attacks and violence during the conflict.
According to the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Kyiv-based nongovernmental organization meant to protect journalists’ rights, Moscow has committed some 830 crimes against journalists and media organizations in Ukraine. That’s in addition to at least 30 Ukrainian media workers who are currently in Russian custody.
Many journalists face serious risks when reporting from frontline areas.
RFE/RL correspondent Yevhenia Kytaiva-Rusetska was filming an interview with a Ukrainian soldier when a Russian rocket exploded nearby, severely injuring the fighter.
Kytaiva-Rusetska narrowly avoided being wounded and rushed to help the downed soldier. “You grasp at whatever you remember from your first-aid courses and do anything, anything at all, to keep him alive,” she said.
Emotional Toll
The war has also taken a heavy emotional toll on those who have witnessed the scale of human suffering.
Maryan Kushnir, an RFE/RL correspondent who has covered fierce fighting, says the "war is like watching your home burn and you can't do anything about it. After three years, I've had my fill of this war, and now I don't want to film it.”
Financial survival is also a serious challenge for Ukrainian media during wartime.
Russia has shelled TV towers, launched cyberattacks, and destroyed media infrastructure and office buildings.
According to the IMI, this has contributed to 332 media outlets shutting down since February 2022, making it even more difficult for journalists in Ukraine to provide crucial war coverage.
Other media organizations have had to choose between financial survival and editorial independence. Since 2022, many Ukrainian media outlets have relied increasingly on grant funding to stay afloat, as subsidies and traditional revenue sources have dwindled.
Despite these overwhelming obstacles, however, Ukrainian journalists like Maryan Kushnir continue to show resilience, but many also say they are physically and emotionally exhausted.
“Before the full-scale invasion, I thought my entire life would be dedicated to covering war,” Kushnir says. “These days, I don't want to think about it. I don't want to talk about it. But we can't stay silent now.”
