57 journalists killed, 45 injured amid all-out war, Prosecutor’s Office reports

Since russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 57 journalists, including 8 from international outlets, have lost their lives, and 45 others have been injured, with 25 of those being foreign correspondents, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The office has initiated 107 war crimes investigations tied specifically to attacks on journalists.

Oleksii Boniuk, head of the Department of Criminal Law Policy and Investment Protection Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office, disclosed these findings during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine.

“Starting in 2022, we introduced a new category specifically for war crimes against journalists,” Boniuk stated. “Under a new memorandum and monitoring platform, this category has been put under supervision. A dedicated department within our office is now coordinating investigations into war crimes committed by the russian federation, particularly those targeting journalists. The statistics, unfortunately, are grim. We have recorded 57 journalists killed, 45 injured, 20 unlawfully detained or imprisoned, one currently held captive, and another missing. These figures, again, are all part of ongoing official investigations and are documented in specific legal proceedings,” Boniuk explained.

According to Oleksii Boniuk, certain cases are currently before the court, and some have already led to several convictions.

“Some of these cases are already moving through Ukraine’s judicial system. I must stress that achieving accountability is impossible without visible results, thorough public scrutiny, and bringing those responsible to justice,” he said. “So far, we have four indictments against nine individuals in special war crime proceedings. Out of these, three have received sentences: one person was sentenced to nine years in prison, while two others received 12-year sentences.”

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