Ukraine's public broadcaster the target of drone attacks
On November 17, the offices of Suspilne (UA:PBC) Dnipro were heavily damaged in a drone attack. Part of the largest drone strike in over a year, the offices were struck by at least 15 explosions at 10:30 p.m., rendering the studios and offices unusable.
The bureau, originally one of 22, was one of the largest regional offices of Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster and DW Akademie partner. Then, on November 25, the Zaporizhzhya office of Suspilne was also targeted, with windows broken and a wall heavily damaged.
According to Suspilne’s Maryia Frey, the attacks were deliberate, part of a coordinated effort to undermine independent media in the country.
"There were no military targets near our offices,” Frey told DW Akademie.
“Suspilne is a trusted source of independent information in Ukraine,” said Natascha Schwanke, director of media development for DW Akademie. “This means they are an obvious target in Russia’s war in Ukraine. We were grateful to hear there were no casualties in the recent attacks.”
A 'war crime'
The attack in Dnipro on November 17, which also struck the TV tower in the city, was part of a larger coordinated drone strike that shook the war-beleaguered county.
Reporters Without Borders condemned the recent strike on civilian areas as war crimes.
Yet for Frey, language is secondary to the experience on the ground. “The official language is a war crime, but it doesn’t change the situation,” she said. “It doesn’t stop Russia from continuing to target our facilities and staff.”
Attacking the news
These recent strikes were not the first attacks on a Suspilne newsroom. The offices of Kherson, for example, were also damaged during the city’s occupation. Equipment was stolen and recently, according to Frey, landmines were dropped around the office by drones.
Due to these coordinated offences, regional Suspilne employees have been forced to adapt. In the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, for example, editorial teams do not meet in person due to security concerns.
Frey pointed out that organization is one of the most trusted media outlets in the country, works in 10 frontline regions, and has the most war correspondents than any other media house in Ukraine.
These attacks on press are the norm in the country. Since the full-scale invasion, 18 journalists in Ukraine have been killed in the line of work, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture.
Reporting continues
Despite the attack, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya journalists continue to report, using their own laptops and smartphones.
“One thing I am proud of is our people,” Frey said. “They struggle and somehow continue to do their job.”
According to local staff, the only objects salvaged from the ruins in Dnipro were a few laptops, some bulletproof vests, several cameras and, symbolically, a single potted flower.
Suspilne works with DW Akademie to increase the long-term capacity of independent media, including the Ukrainian public broadcaster. They also promote an open constructive dialogue within the Ukrainian population through projects funded by the European Union and supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Foreign Office.
