As reported on 21 July 2022, Hrechka, a local media in Kropyvnytskyi, was forced to remove an article from its website related to the functioning of local universities during the war, following “persistent requests” by the regional department of Ukraine’s national police. The article itself was published on 11 July.
“On July 14, I received a phone call from law enforcement officials, who referred to to their bosses and persistently asked for the removal of the article, allegedly at the request of the regional military administration, for security reasons”, wrote Hrechka editor, Anastasiya Dzyubak, in a Facebook post. “We removed the material,” the journalist added.
According to Hrechka’s editor, the information communicated to the media by university representatives was allowed for distribution, and did not endanger the security situation in Kropyvnytskyi. Dzyubak added that the information, which she said was related to the state of air raid shelters and the readiness of universities to continue teaching online, was still available on university websites.
“We understand that there are additional precautions [to take] under martial law”, she wrote in her post. “But I would like to have clearer information about what can cause harm and what should not be published before we start working, not afterwards. In addition, there should be clear rules, so as to check whether an article violates anything or not.”
Authorities in Kropyvnytskyi had not made available any comments on the situation.