In honor of Journalist Day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree awarding state honors to 37 media professionals from Ukraine and other countries. The awards were granted for significant contributions to the development of journalism, courage in reporting the truth about Russia’s full-scale invasion, and documenting the occupiers’ war crimes. This was reported by “Glavkom” with reference to the Office of the President.
Among those honored are reporters from leading Ukrainian TV channels, war correspondents from global media giants, and those who sacrificed their lives while fulfilling their professional and civic duties.
Particularly heroic was the posthumous awarding of the Order of Merit, III degree, to producer and Ukrainian Armed Forces Lieutenant Viktoria Bobrova (Kvitka). She accompanied film crews to the front lines, interviewed soldiers, and produced journalistic reports from the front. In August 2025, during an enemy artillery attack, she assisted a wounded comrade and evacuated him. She participated in the creation of the documentary film “Warriors of the Mountains,” dedicated to mountain assault units. Viktoria Bobrova died on April 23, 2026, in Barvinkove, Kharkiv Oblast.
The President also honored leaders of the Ukrainian media landscape who ensure the continuous operation of newsrooms and gather evidence of Russian terror:
- Natalia Gumenyuk (Order of Merit, III degree) – executive director of the NGO “Laboratory of Public Interest Journalism” and co-founder of The Reckoning Project.
