“The ‘PRESS’ Marking Has Become A Target”: Ukrainian Broadcaster Journalist Daria Litovchenko Speaks At OSCE Conference In Warsaw
FREEДОМ TV channel correspondent in Kherson Daria Litovchenko took part in an international discussion on protecting journalists and volunteers from Russian drone attacks. The event took place on October 13 in Warsaw as part of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2026. The Ukrainian broadcasting journalist shared her experience working in a frontline city and spoke about the threats media…
Ukrainian broadcaster journalist Daria Litovchenko addressed an international conference on safeguarding journalists and volunteers from Russian drone attacks in Warsaw on October 13. As a correspondent for the FREEДОМ TV channel in the frontline city of Kherson since 2022, Litovchenko highlighted the dangers Russian drones pose to civilians and media professionals.
She stressed that traditional media markings, such as the PRESS marking, no longer offer protection and have instead become targets for Russian forces who have disregarded international conventions for over a decade. Litovchenko advocated for a shift in journalist safety protocols to embrace modern warfare realities, suggesting that drone detectors should be included among essential protective gear alongside body armor, helmets, and first-aid kits.
She recounted the tragic deaths of her colleagues, including Olena Hramova and Yevhen Karmazin, who were killed in a Russian Lancet drone attack in Kramatorsk in October 2025, as well as the severe injury of co-worker Oleksandr Kolychev. Litovchenko also recounted a harrowing story of a 66-year-old Kherson resident who lost a leg in a Russian drone strike, emphasizing the dire consequences of drone activity on medical response times.
The international discussion, organized by the ZMINA Human Rights Center, the Institute of Mass Information, and Ukraine's Permanent Mission to International Organizations, brought together experts to address the escalating dangers faced by journalists covering the war and volunteers delivering humanitarian aid and evacuating civilians.
The event aimed to increase support for journalists and humanitarian workers by facilitating the distribution of drone detectors, protective equipment, armored vehicles, and safety training. Participants called for updated international approaches to protecting civilians in the face of modern drone warfare and urged independent investigations into attacks on media workers and volunteers.
Litovchenko, originally from Sloviansk, Donetsk region, has faced persecution by Russian occupiers due to her activism and has been honored with the Order of Merit, 3rd class, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June 2025.
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