More Than 130 Media Workers Killed Since Start of Russia's Full-Scale Invasion, Ukrainian Monitor Says

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Ukrainian media watchdog, has recorded the deaths of more than 130 media workers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to a tally cited by Ukrinform.

IMI put the toll at 134 media workers. Of that total, 105 were media professionals who had joined Ukraine's Defense Forces, meaning the large majority of those killed died while serving in a military capacity rather than while reporting in a strictly civilian press role.

Tracking losses across the war

IMI has monitored risks to journalists and media workers throughout the conflict, documenting killings, injuries, detentions and other harms faced by the profession. Its figures are regularly cited by Ukrainian and international outlets tracking the human cost of the war for the media sector.

The finding underscores how the war has blurred the line between journalism and combat service for some Ukrainians, as media professionals who enlisted to fight have been counted among the dead alongside those killed while newsgathering.

The conflict has repeatedly been described by press-freedom groups as among the most dangerous in recent years for journalists. Ukrinform's report did not provide a further breakdown of the time period or circumstances covered by IMI's count.