Mykhailo Sharkov, a military journalist from the Apostrof TV, together with volunteers has delivered a special issue of the We are from Ukraine! publication by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and some local newspapers to the towns of the Donetsk Region, in particular, Lyman and Bakhmut. The NUJU and foreign benefactors financially assisted in the restoration of the Lyman’s Zoria and Bakhmut’s Vpered! newspapers.
On January 6, a volunteer group visited Lyman. In addition to the printed press, volunteers brought goodies, warm clothes, medicines, and much more to local residents.
“After talking [with the locals], we can already say what the situation in Lyman is now. Namely: there is electricity, there is mobile communication, sometimes, in certain areas, providers ensure the Internet connection. People receive news from television. They have only one TV for everyone. They bought a set-top box and watch the news. They were very happy when they saw their hometown newspaper Zoria. They all remember it, all love it, know its history and are very grateful for the fact that the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) handed over one of its issues to them. They promised that in the evening they would all read together and wait for new issues as they strongly believe that the newspaper will have them,” Mykhailo Sharkov said.
And on Christmas, January 7, a fresh issue of the Vpered newspaper and a special edition We are from Ukraine! were received by the residents of Bakhmut.
“Indomitable Bakhmut. January 7, Christmas 2023. Constant artillery fire is quite loud here. People received their hometown newspaper called Vpered! People were pleasantly shocked, because everyone is staying in a certain information vacuum here. There is no electricity, no communication. People are cut off from information about what is happening in Ukraine and in the world. People need these newspapers as they give them hope, and people won’t give up,” Mykhailo Sharkov concludes.
“We constantly get sure that it is important for the people in the settlements freed from Russian occupiers, such as Lyman, and indomitable towns of Donbas, such as Bakhmut, to receive fresh issues of local newspapers. This is understandable, however, in addition to constant shelling, destruction, problems with light, water supply, a lack of information also causes problems in the hot spot settlements of Ukraine. The NUJU is doing everything possible to help finance the publication of the newspaper in the de-occupied and front-line territories,” emphasizes Sergiy Tomilenko, the President of NUJU.
So far, thanks to financial assistance of the NUJU and foreign benefactors, one or more issues of newspapers have been printed for the settlements of Izium (Obrii Iziumshchyny), Lyman (Zoria), Barvinkove (Visti Barvinkivshchyny), Bakhmut (Vpered), Kherson (Novyi Den), Snihurivka (Visti Snihurivshchyny), Zolochiv (Zoria), Kharkiv (Selianska Hazeta), Zmiyiv (Visti Zmiyivshchyny), and Blyzniuky (Nove Zhyttia).
NUJU information service
