Ukrainian journalists face threats amid corruption exposes
On the first day of the invasion, the world turned upside down. A catastrophe of incredible proportions occurred, says Katerina Sergatskova, a Ukrainian journalist and director of "Daily Humanity." Every Ukrainian's life changed drastically, and for journalists, it was even more significant, she emphasizes.
According to Sergatskova, in the spring of 2022, reporters in Ukraine faced a difficult choice: to report what was happening to the people, quit their jobs to save themselves and their loved ones, flee the country, or go to the front line.
It was literally a choice between journalism and death—a very difficult choice. For many, it led to death. In just the first month of the full-scale invasion, 13 journalists were killed, including an independent Russian journalist. Among the dead and wounded are many of my friends and acquaintances. Some were fortunate, survived, and continue to work, emphasizes the Meduza portal.
In the third year of the invasion, Ukrainians began transferring their irritation with bad news onto the journalists who brought it to them. This is what representatives of the Ukrainian media market, interviewed by Meduza, claim. Media workers themselves faced many unsolvable ethical dilemmas during the war.
In the spring of 2022, Ukrainian media supported official Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky personally. Journalists practically did not criticize the authorities' decisions. However, just a few months later, the situation changed.
With horror, we realized that the war continues, people are dying, but corrupt officials have not disappeared, says a source in the leadership of one of the independent Ukrainian publications interviewed by Meduza.
Many investigative journalists argued at the time about how they could continue their profession without harming Ukraine. As a result, most of them concluded that abuses of power must be spoken about regardless.
Because first of all, corruption is a direct threat to people on the front line, because if they do not receive something, the chances of losing the war increase. Secondly, if people only find out about the true scale of the problem after the war ends, the responsibility will fall on the media. And thirdly, this war continues, in part because we chose a democratic path of development and are trying to change everything somehow, says one of the Ukrainians.
Shocking accounts of a journalist
Ukrainian journalists began to write the truth, and problems started for them. For example, on January 14, 2024, several men in hooded jackets arrived at the home of investigative journalist Yuri Nikolov.
They began banging on the apartment door, threatening to "send Nikolov to the front line". After the unknown individuals left, the journalist found notes stuck to his door with the words "traitor" and "draft dodger, go serve in the army."
Nikolov is a co-founder and editor of the publication "Nashe Groshi" ("Our Money"), which specializes in anti-corruption investigations. Their publications have led to the cancellation of over 70 contracts, saving Ukraine approximately CAD 1.2 billion.
Nikolov was the author of an investigation into theft at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. After this, several officials, including Minister Oleksii Reznikov, lost their positions, and the Verkhovna Rada introduced a more transparent defence procurement system.
A film, shot by unknown individuals who tried to break into the journalist's apartment, was first published on the anonymous Telegram channel "Card Office" (100,000 subscribers).
The film was accompanied by a comment: "The army" came from the front to "deliver the agenda to a certain famous 'journalist'."
