On 14 March 2024, The Russian military again shelled the editorial offices of Vorskla, a local newspaper based in the town of Velyka Pysarivka, in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region. The town is located 6 km from the border with Russia. This was the second attack on Vorskla’s office within a month, following a similar incident in February.
The new attack led to the destruction of windows, balconies, and the roof of the newspaper’s office. According to a representative of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Ukrainian press freedom group, who spoke with Vorskla editor-in-chief Oleksii Pasiuha, a Russian aviation bomb was dropped on the nearby post office of Velyka Pysarivka, which was destroyed as a result of the shelling.
Pasiuha was at the office shortly before the explosion, but managed to leave just before, according to a report by The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), a trade union.
Speaking to NUJU, Pasiuha said that due to increased Russian shelling of Velyka Pysarivka, he and his family had to evacuate from the village, and leave the Vorskla editorial office behind.