On June 6, Ukraine celebrates Journalist's Day, a professional holiday for media professionals, which this year was overshadowed by tragic events. As a result of the massive Russian attack, representatives of the Kyiv State Emergency Service's press service were injured, including photographer, press officer, and member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers Pavlo Petrov, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the attack along with rescuers. Three firefighters were killed in the aftermath of the Russian attack, and 18 other rescuers were injured.
A holiday with pain
Journalists' Day was established in 1994 by a decree of President Leonid Kravchuk. June 6 was chosen as the date - it was on this day in 1992 that the Union of Journalists of Ukraine was admitted to the International Federation of Journalists. In the context of a full-scale war, this holiday has taken on a special meaning, as Russia has been deliberately killing and persecuting Ukrainian journalists.
Massive attack across Ukraine
On the night of June 6, the Russian army launched a massive combined attack on the territory of Ukraine using attack drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Explosions were reported in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lutsk, Ternopil, Zhytomyr, and a number of other regions.
In Lutsk, Volyn region, five people were wounded in a Russian strike. Even more serious consequences were recorded in Ternopil, where the number of victims increased to ten.
Shelling on Journalist's Day
The most devastating blow was inflicted by the Russians on Kyiv. The occupation forces attacked the capital with kamikaze drones and missiles, hitting residential and infrastructure facilities. The Solomensky district suffered the most, where three rescuers were killed in a second strike while responding to the aftermath.
“Rescuers were working to eliminate the consequences of a Russian air attack on a civilian infrastructure facility in Solomyansky district. During the work, they were shelled again. 13 rescuers were injured. Three of them were killed,” the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said.
Among the wounded are Pavlo Petrov, a spokesman for the Kyiv State Emergency Service, and press officer Inna Zhelchyk.
“Pavlo is now undergoing surgery. His broken phone and camera are now with me, so this is a sad Journalist's Day. Two people are in the most serious condition - Inna Zhelchyk and the driver of the press service,” said Svitlana Vodolaha, head of the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The price of the profession
The Kyiv State Emergency Service noted that the day before they had planned a completely different post for Journalist's Day, but the tragedy of the morning of June 6 changed everything. The message reads:
“We prepared a different post on the occasion of Journalist's Day yesterday. At the time, we did not know that on the morning of June 6 we would receive a terrible news about the death of firefighters of the Kyiv garrison, and our press officers would witness this callous crime at the cost of their own health.”
In its statement, the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv mentioned the press officers of the Kyiv State Emergency Service Pavel Petrov and Inna Zhelchik who were injured today:
“On the day when Ukraine honors the heroism of journalists, doctors are fighting for the life of our Inna, and Pasha is in the hospital with injuries of varying degrees. This is the price of the truth that we show the world about the crimes of the Russian Federation. This is the price of the first shots after the rocket attacks on our homes and the first moment of pain from the losses caused by this unprovoked aggression. Today, we most need support and prayers for the health of our colleagues - brave media workers whose lives are cynically hunted by the enemy. So the best words on the occasion of Journalist's Day would be to wish Pavlo and Inna a speedy recovery. After all, they, like everyone who has chosen this dangerous profession, do their best to ensure that people's eyes can always see the war as it is.”
The scale of destruction in the capital
Svitlana Vodolaha also reported that five more rescuers were injured during the attack in Ternopil. In total, 18 rescuers were injured across the country on the night of June 6.
As of 11:00 a.m., as a result of the Russian attack in Kyiv:
- 3 rescuers were killed;
- 23 people were injured, including 14 rescuers;
- a fire broke out in the Solomensky district with an area of 2000 square meters;
- a fire was extinguished on the 11th floor of a 16-storey residential building - three people were injured, three more were rescued, including a child;
- in Holosiivskyi district, buildings caught fire, railroad tracks were damaged, and one person was injured;
- in Dniprovskyi district, near the Livoberezhna metro station, a subway track and a gas station building were damaged.
“Of course, psychologists are working with families and rescuers. We have about 250 rescuers and more than 50 pieces of equipment working in Kyiv. Search dogs are also working,” noted Vodolaga.
In total, 254 rescuers, dog teams, psychologists, 53 units of SES equipment and volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross were involved in the aftermath of the attack in Kyiv.
On Journalist's Day, the Russian army once again attacked those who save lives and record the truth about war crimes. The price of this truth is human life, injuries, and pain. And at the same time - dignity, resilience and invincibility. Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers honors the memory of all media professionals who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war, and also remembers colleagues who are illegally held in enemy captivity.
Contributors:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Olga Kovaleva
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
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