The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reports a grim toll: 132 Ukrainian artists and 93 media professionals have lost their lives in the Russian war. These numbers resonate far beyond their stark reality, echoing through the darker chapters of Ukraine’s history. In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Stalinist regime obliterated an entire generation of Ukrainian artists. Today, history seems to repeat itself as Russia systematically targets Ukraine’s cultural elite, intent on erasing voices that define a nation’s identity.
Journalists in Ukraine are navigating a dangerous reality, creating essential news, investigations, and reports in a high-risk environment. Their work goes beyond headlines—they are the chroniclers of war, capturing its events to provide Ukraine and the world with clear, reliable accounts of what unfolds. Day and night, they tirelessly gather evidence of Russia’s crimes, shining a light on the strength and courage of Ukraine’s defenders.
The cost of this commitment has been devastating. Ukrainian media professionals, alongside seven foreign journalists, have lost their lives during the war. Russia’s systematic targeting of journalists and media institutions is not just a direct attack on individuals—it strikes at the very heart of freedom of expression, information security, and the democratic principles that uphold human rights. In response to these tragedies, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications has taken on the sombre task of compiling lists of the artists and media professionals who paid the ultimate price for their work.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI), a Ukrainian NGO dedicated to safeguarding freedom of expression and protecting journalists, keeps its own record of media professionals killed in the war. According to IMI’s estimates, this number has reached 92.
The most recent name on this solemn list is cameraman Oleksiy Andreev, who had been missing for an extended period of time. His body was recently returned as part of an exchange, and DNA analysis in late October confirmed his death. Oleksiy was laid to rest on 2 November 2024 in Chernivtsi.
As Detector Media reports, Oleksiy had been a dedicated cameraman since the early 2000s, working for local TV channels TV7 and Sigma in Mariupol, as well as for the press centre at Azovstal. On 25 February 2022, he answered the call to defend Ukraine, joining the ranks of its defenders. His story is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who document and fight for their nation.
According to his wife, Natalia Ikim, Oleksiy went missing in the village of Bohdanivka, located in the Bakhmut district. “There was a battle there. He was on the front line, in the very first ranks, and after that, there was no more news,” she explained. “He was a rare person—simple, cheerful, kind—but in truth, Oleksiy was deep and principled, a man who truly knew how to love,” his wife recalled. “Mariupol, the city that was always in his heart, was something he deeply missed. I know he would have loved to see it again under the Ukrainian flag,” wrote Natalia, his wife’s sister, in a heartfelt tribute to Oleksiy Andreev. He was 50 years old.
Among the many names of artists lost in the war, Ukrainians remember photographer Iryna Tsvila, graphic artist Serhiy Pushchenko, actors Pavlo Li, Roman Filonov, and Pavlo Yeremenko, as well as Ukrainian Opera ballet soloist Artem Dotsyshyn, and many others who gave their lives in the fight.
