On 26 February 2023, Hanna Rybalka, a journalist working with the Ukrainian television station Channel 5, was cyber-bullied after participating in a press conference with president Volodymyr Zelensky. According to media reports, Rybalka received dozens of messages from Facebook users, who insulted her with words such as “vermin”, “dirty carpet” and other vulgar phrases. The senders of the messages also accused her of being “sold-off” and of being a “bot” for the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, the former owner of Channel 5. At the press conference, Rybalka asked Zelensky if he felt sorry for not warning Ukrainians that Russia would launch a large-scale invasion of the country, as well as what penalty awaited the dismissed former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Bakanov, reminding that he was a “childhood friend” of Zelensky. Additionally, she asked Zelensky about the disconnection of Channel 5 from digital broadcasting in Ukraine. Rybalka later clarified that she had not filed a complaint with police for cyber bullying, as she considered the messages “a sign of hatred, nothing more”.
Russia-Ukraine WarVerbal attack or intimidation by public (non online)Verbal, online or physical attack