The IPI global network demands the release from Russian captivity of Hennadiy Osmak, a journalist from Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region, who was initially detained by Russian authorities in March 2024 and recently sentenced on trumped-up charges.
According to reports by Ukrainian human rights organizations, Osmak is currently imprisoned in a penal colony in Russia’s Vladimir region. A Russian court of cassation had earlier confirmed his sentence of three years and two months in prison, on charges of ‘financing terrorism’, ‘contacts with Ukrainian secret services’ and participating in a ‘Crimean Tatar battalion’ fighting against Russia. The journalist denied all the allegations and Ukrainian media groups described the charges as absurd.
“The imprisonment of Hennadiy Osmak highlights the dire conditions of the 26 Ukrainian journalists whom Russia continues to hold behind bars for their independent reporting,” said IPI Eastern Europe Press Freedom Advisor Karol Łuczka. “IPI calls on the international community, in particular parties engaged in negotiations on the return of Ukrainian civilians from Russian captivity, to meaningfully engage in efforts to release the journalists that Russia continues to hold hostage. The death of Victoria Roshchyna in 2024 serves as a brutal reminder of the accrued risks that these journalists face.”
The founder of local outlet Noviy Vizyt (‘New Visit’), Osmak reported on the situation in Hennichesk in Kherson region until the arrival of Russian troops in February 2022. According to Ukrainian organizations, following the town’s occupation, the journalist refused a demand by Russian forces to collaborate and produce propaganda materials. Osmak was initially detained in March 2024 and was sentenced by a Russian court in November that year.
Russian authorities continue to hold no fewer than 26 Ukrainian journalists behind bars on a range of trumped-up charges. This includes a group of six citizen journalists from the occupied city of Melitopol, as well 14 ethnic Crimean Tatars whom Russian authorities have accused on various charges related to terrorism.
The death of Victoria Roshchyna in Russian custody in 2024 heightened fears about the safety of the imprisoned media workers. Throughout 2025, Russia allowed for the return of only three Ukrainian journalists: Vladyslav Yesypenko, Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush.
IPI continues to demand the release of all Ukrainian journalists unjustly held by occupying Russian authorities for simply doing their job.