Second group of Ukrainian media professionals enhance physical and digital security skills at OSCE training

Representatives of Ukrainian media, including journalists and editors from regions operating in high-risk security environments, enhanced their practical skills in protecting themselves, their sources and their newsrooms during the five-day training course “Physical and Digital Security of Journalists during the War”, held from 22 to 26 September 2026 in Zakarpattia.

The event aimed to strengthen media professionals’ resilience to current physical and digital threats and equip them with practical tools to reduce security risks.

“It is you who show the world what is happening in Ukraine. The situation is becoming more difficult, and we can expect it to become even more challenging. This is why your personal safety and the security of the sources you use are so important,” said Ambassador Petr Mares, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Co-ordinator of OSCE Projects in Ukraine.

During the training, 25 participants (8 men and 17 women) practiced first aid skills, learned about mine safety rules and appropriate conduct in combat zones, and discussed how to respond in the event of being taken captive. 

“In the first years of the full-scale invasion, dangerous situations were mostly encountered in frontline areas or near the line of contact. Today, our trains and civilian infrastructure are constantly at high risk of shelling. Therefore, the knowledge and skills we gained during the training are something that not only journalists but every Ukrainian citizen should know and understand. Basic skills such as stopping bleeding and providing first aid for injuries can help us assist ourselves, our families and those around us,” said Maksym Zabelia, Editor-in-Chief of the Ridne Misto newspaper from Myrnohrad, Donetsk region.

Particular attention during the training was paid to constantly evolving digital threats that can pose risks both to individual journalists and to entire newsrooms. Participants explored device and communications security, secure data storage, ways to counter hacking attempts, and risks associated with the use of modern digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

The training was organized by the Support Programme for Ukraine in co-operation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Freedom of Speech, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine. The event continued the OSCE’s co-operation with Ukrainian state institutions and the media community aimed at strengthening journalists’ safety amid the rapidly changing nature of security threats.