Women Press Freedom is deeply concerned for the well-being of Glukhovska and her colleagues. They must be immediately released

Location: Ukraine, Melitopol

Date: April 9, 2024

Russian forces have abducted and detained RIA Melitopol reporter Anastasia Glukhovska, holding her in captivity for eight months. In response, her outlet has chosen to publicize her case, seeking to pressure the Russian government into revealing information about Glukhovska and her six colleagues, who have been unlawfully held since August 2023. Women Press Freedom is appalled at Russia's ongoing aggression towards the press and citizens in Ukraine. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has inflicted casualties among press workers on the frontline, and it has systematically targeted journalists in occupied Ukrainian territories, kidnapping and detaining them. We strongly condemn these actions by Russian forces and implore the international community to take notice of the plight of all press workers unjustly detained by Russia, urging them to ensure their safe release.

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At a Council of Europe conference in Kyiv on April 9, 2024, Svitlana Zalizetska, editor-in-chief of RIA South (RIA Melitopol), revealed troubling news about journalist Anastasia Glukhovska.

Glukhovska, along with six administrators of Telegram channels RIA Melitopol and Melitopol in Ukraine, was kidnapped on August 20, 2023, by Russian forces.

Despite tireless efforts by her family and colleagues, her whereabouts remain unknown, leaving her fate uncertain.

Initially kept anonymous at her mother's request for safety, Glukhovska's identity was exposed when the Russian military released a video accusing her and others of terrorism

Glukhovska, along with her fellow detainees, faces bogus charges under multiple articles of the Russian Criminal Code, including public calls for terrorist attacks, treason, and espionage. They face 12 to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Sadly, Glukhovska's horrifying plight is not unique. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, numerous journalists in Russian-occupied areas have been targeted. Iryna Levchenko and her husband were detained in Melitopol in May 2023, while Hromadske reporter Victoria Roschina vanished in eastern Ukraine in August 2023 under circumstances suggesting Russian involvement. Journalists in occupied Crimea have faced intimidation, detention, and imprisonment by Russian authorities.

Women Press Freedom has documented the deaths of eight women journalists in Ukraine since February 2022, all killed in Russian attacks. Numerous frontline journalists have been injured, with six women journalists wounded in Russian attacks in 2024 alone.

In response, Women Press Freedom and 20 other press freedom organizations have issued a joint statement calling for international action against Russia and accountability for its crimes against journalists.

Women Press Freedom strongly condemns the detention of Anastasia Glukhovska and her colleagues. The international community must exert pressure on the Russian authorities to disclose the whereabouts of the detainees and ensure their safe release. We stand in solidarity with Anastasia Glukhovska, her family, and all journalists unjustly detained by Russian forces.

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