On 26 February, Ukrinform news agency journalist Tetyana Kulyk and her husband were killed in their home in Bucha by a Russian drone.
This statement was originally published on europeanjournalists.org on 26 February 2025.
The European and the International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Ukrainian affiliates, in condemning the killing of Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Kulyk, a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), by a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region on 26 February 2025.
Two days after the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, journalist Tetyana Kulyk of the Ukrinform news agency and her husband, Pavlo Ivanchov, were killed in their home by a Russian drone, in the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast. According to Ukrinform, rescuers found the two dead bodies while extinguishing the fire caused by the attack.
“With profound grief, we have learned about the tragic death of our colleague, talented Ukrinform journalist Tetiana Kulyk, who was killed by a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region. Tetiana was not just a professional in her field; she was a voice that told the world about the resilience of the Ukrainian people,” declared NUJU President Serhiy Tomilenko. “Every journalist who dies at the hands of the Russian occupiers is an irreparable loss for the entire journalistic community and Ukraine. This is another war crime by Russia, which must be investigated and punished. We demand justice and accountability for those responsible,” he added.
“The EFJ is saddened to learn of the murder of yet another journalist. Our thoughts are with Tetiana Kulyk and her husband’s loved one. We call for an independent investigation to determine who was behind the drone attack and to what extent our colleague Tetiana Kulyk was deliberately targeted at her home. Journalists must not be targeted but rather protected. We urge for justice,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “We are in shock and deeply saddened by the outrageous killing of our colleague, journalist Tetiana Kulyk, and her beloved husband by a Russian drone attack. As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, we reiterate that journalists, as civilians, are entitled to protection in the context of armed conflict, in accordance with international humanitarian law. We call for an independent investigation that determines the circumstances of Kulyk’s death and brings the perpetrators to justice”.
At least 110 journalists have been killed in the three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The IFJ-EFJ together with their Ukrainian affiliates call for a thorough and swift investigation into this brutal attack, which must not go unpunished.
