Detector Media

Are journalistic standards still alive during wartime — or do they need to be rethought? 🤔 War, information pressure, the race for clicks, and the rapid development of AI are changing journalism. But where is the line between adapting to new realities and abandoning professional standards? At the Donbas Media Forum, leading Ukrainian media professionals discussed these challenges in a panel moderated by Nataliia Lygachova, chief editor of Detector Media. 💬 Are journalistic standards still relevant when some information cannot be disclosed for security reasons? Does balance always mean giving both sides a voice? How can journalists protect the public interest without putting people at risk? And what matters more in the age of instant updates: speed or accuracy? The discussion brought together different perspectives — and some sharp disagreements — on what quality journalism should look like today. 🔎 Read the full discussion on our website: en.detector.media/post/journ… #UkraineWar #Journalism #media

🕯️ Ukrainian serviceman Volodymyr Obertas, who served in the communications unit of the 34th Separate Marine Brigade “Borysfen” and filmed drone footage showing the destruction in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, has been killed in Kherson, Suspilne reports. Yevhen Voronetskyi, head of the communications unit of the Borysfen brigade, said that on October 27, Volodymyr Obertas was working in central #Kherson, accompanying a group of journalists who had arrived to film the city during a period of calm. While looking for a suitable camera angle, he stepped on an unidentified explosive device. The device detonated, leaving him with severe injuries. He later died in hospital. Volodymyr Obertas was a videographer and video editor by profession. He transferred from a combat position to the brigade’s communications unit. He was due to be promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant soon. Dmytro Voronov, the former mayor of #Oleshky, wrote on his Facebook page that before joining the military, Volodymyr Obertas was a well-known photographer and cameraman. He worked at celebrations in kindergartens and schools, as well as at weddings and public events. Detector Media extends its sincere condolences to Volodymyr Obertas’s family, loved ones, and colleagues. detector.media/infospace/art… #RussiaUkraineWar #RussiaIsATerroristState

🚨 Russian attack damages university buildings and dormitories in Kyiv A Russian ballistic missile attack on #Kyiv overnight on October 27 damaged academic buildings and dormitories at the State University of Trade and Economics (SUTE). Five students and university staff members were injured, according to the university. Two second-year students, Roman Balla and Anna Voloshyna, sustained serious injuries near a university dormitory. Balla is scheduled to undergo a second operation in the neurosurgery department. The university’s student council has called for donations to help cover the injured students’ medical treatment. The university’s rector, Anatolii Mazaraki, said some people had been in shelters during the attack, while those outside were injured. He also refuted reports that anyone had been killed at the university. #Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science is in contact with the university’s management to coordinate assistance, while the university assesses the damage. The attack was part of a wider Russian assault on Ukraine overnight on October 26–27. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, #Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones that night. Across Kyiv, the strikes killed one person and injured 15 others, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Photo: Hromadske

📚 A warehouse belonging to Kharkiv-based publishing house KSD was damaged in a Russian attack on #Ukraine overnight on October 27. None of the company’s employees were injured. KSD’s team reported the incident on Facebook. “Friends, on a morning when we wanted to wish you a happy Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language and share our November announcements, we have some very different and upsetting news. We have to inform you that the enemy struck our warehouse. The attack on the area where it is located is ongoing. Today, luck was not on our side,” the publishing house wrote. KSD also said that the full extent of the damage to the warehouse is still being assessed. However, it is already clear that the attack will affect the release of new books scheduled for November 5. The publishing house has postponed its announcements while the team assesses the situation and determines the next steps. #RussiaUkraineWar #books #UkraineWar

🇨🇿 Thousands protest in Prague against plans to change public media funding. Thousands of people gathered in Prague on October 25 to protest the Czech government’s proposed changes to the funding of public broadcasters, Czech Television and Czech Radio. The demonstrators called on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government to withdraw the bill, which would abolish broadcasting licence fees paid by households and businesses and replace them with funding from the state budget. ❗ The proposed reform could reduce public broadcasters’ funding by around 15%. Critics warn that the changes could make the outlets more vulnerable to political pressure and undermine their independence. The government, however, says the reform is about funding transparency and denies that it would threaten editorial independence. The protests followed a parliamentary vote that advanced the bill to the next stage of consideration in the early hours of October 24, at 4:36 a.m., with limited time for opposition debate. Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio have announced a strike for November 3. Another large demonstration is planned in Prague on November 15.

🇺🇸 Trump criticizes Fox News for not doing enough to support Republicans ahead of midterms. US President Donald #Trump has criticized Fox News for giving too much airtime to Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. In a post on Truth Social on October 25, Trump accused the conservative-leaning network of giving Republicans’ opponents too much exposure while failing to adequately promote GOP candidates. He claimed this was one reason the races were competitive. Trump’s latest criticism comes amid a series of complaints about Fox News’ election coverage. Earlier in October, he also criticized the network for interviewing Democratic candidates and for not broadcasting some of his campaign rallies. Republicans are fighting to retain their majorities in Congress, while Trump has been campaigning across the country to boost support for the party ahead of the vote. #Elections2026 #Republicans #Democrats

📚 Russian strike damages Ukraine’s Book Chamber, putting 15 million archival items at risk. The Ivan Fedorov Book Chamber of Ukraine in Kyiv suffered significant damage during a Russian ballistic missile attack on the night of October 19. The blast wave shattered windows in the archive storage facilities and administrative building, damaged doors and walls, and caused parts of the ceiling to collapse. The institution preserves around **15 million items documenting Ukraine’s publishing history**, including books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials. With windows broken and the building exposed to moisture, the collection is now at risk of further damage. The staff urgently need to secure the premises against rain, as damp conditions can irreversibly damage paper archives. Fortunately, no employees were injured. However, this is not the first time the building has suffered damage from Russian attacks: it was also hit in December 2025 and January 2026. The Book Chamber is a vital part of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, preserving the country’s printed history for future generations. #Ukraine #Kyiv #RussianWar #CulturalHeritage #Books #Archives

🕯️ Vasyl Velychko, a television cameraman from Poltava, was killed on the front line. This was reported by the fallen soldier’s wife. Vasyl died on October 16 while fulfilling his duty as a defender of Ukraine. Before joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he worked as a cameraman for the Poltava television channels IRT and “Misto Plus,” and also collaborated with several national channels and worked in international news. He reported from many countries around the world. Vasyl Velychko was passionate about photography and cinema, and he made films. Before joining the military, he was a volunteer. He is survived by his two-year-old daughter. Detector Media extends its condolences to Vasyl’s family, loved ones, and colleagues. #UkraineWar #RussiaIsATerroristState

👩🏻‍💻 OpenAI Report: Disruption of New Russian and Iranian AI-Enabled Operations The Kremlin and Iran are using AI to spread disinformation, but tech companies are working to detect and disrupt these efforts. OpenAI has released a new report exposing covert influence operations that utilized ChatGPT to scale up propaganda efforts. How exactly did malicious actors employ artificial intelligence? 🔷 They generated disinformation posts, social media comments, and "expert" opinion pieces in various languages (including English, French, German, and Spanish). 🔷 They used AI to quickly translate and edit texts for diverse target audiences and even to write code to support their bot networks. 🔷 They established a network of fake independent platforms masquerading as regional think tanks or legitimate media outlets. Ultimately, generative AI did not invent new narratives—Kremlin and Iranian manipulation tactics remained the same. However, artificial intelligence has amplified their capabilities: it allows for the creation of far more disinformation "noise" in less time and at a lower cost. The era of AI-driven propaganda demands a new standard of hygiene from both society and tech giants—ranging from strict oversight of Large Language Model (LLM) usage to the rapid monitoring of algorithmic anomalies. #Disinformation #ArtificialIntelligence #OpenAI #HybridWarfare

🤔 Elections “on demand”: Trump once again calls for a “new leader” for Ukraine In response to a question from journalist Tetiana Kozyrieva about what he would like to say to people in Ukraine who suffer from Russian missile strikes every day and are starving under occupation, US President Donald Trump suggested on October 10 that Ukrainians elect a “new leader” who would be “capable of making a deal” with Russia. 🇺🇦 Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to Donald #Trump’s remarks by saying that the decision on elections rests with the Ukrainian people and that statements from abroad only confirm that the president is doing his job well. Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said he was ready for elections if Russia agreed to a “complete ceasefire for 60 days.” According to an analysis by the Detector Media Research Center, Donald Trump’s demands that #Ukraine hold elections resurface several times a year. His statements are among the most prominent catalysts for discussions about holding elections during active hostilities. However, Donald Trump’s calls for elections in Ukraine appear to reflect an emotional reaction rather than a consistent position. They most often accompany or follow demands that Ukraine agree to a particular way of ending hostilities favored by Donald Trump’s inner circle or by #Russia. Read more: en.detector.media/post/elect…

📱 Monitoring international disinformation is not enough anymore—it is time to move toward legal accountability. EU DisinfoLab’s flagship annual conference, #Disinfo2026, is taking place on October 7–8 in Vilnius, Lithuania. More than 650 researchers, policymakers, and legal experts brought together by EU DisinfoLab are focusing on a new approach to combating information warfare. A key focus this year is how research on disinformation can support legal and regulatory action. Experts are developing mechanisms to turn research findings into hard evidence—within the framework of the EU Digital Services Act (#DSA)—to hold platforms (X, Telegram, Meta) and operators of information operations (IO) accountable. Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is considered a component of hybrid warfare. Kremlin propaganda agencies and online influence campaigns deliberately fuel aggression. They can be characterized as de facto components of the Russian war machine; consequently, they should face legal sanctions and be included in criminal proceedings. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the entire battlefield landscape. This includes the emergence of AI-driven botnets and deepfakes, as well as the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to expose covert Kremlin networks in real time. 💡 Information resilience requires not merely rebuttals but strict regulation of Big Tech, sanctions, and inevitable punishment for conducting information operations. #Disinfo2026 #FIMI #DigitalServicesAct #InfoWar #Ukraine

📚 On the night of October 7, Russia launched an attack on warehouse facilities in the Podilsky district of #Kyiv. The new warehouse of the “Knygolove” publishing house sustained significant damage. This was reported on the publishing house’s Telegram channel. Currently, the team does not have access to the warehouse and cannot assess the damage or determine the number of books that were destroyed or cannot be salvaged. At the same time, “Knygolove” noted that none of its employees were injured. #RussiaUkraineWar #Ukraine

💥 The Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio was damaged as a result of the Russian attack on #Kyiv on the night of October 7. This was reported on the studio’s Facebook page. “Another difficult night and a morning of bad news. The three-pavilion building of the Dovzhenko Film Studio was damaged by a massive missile attack. There are no fatalities at this time,” the post reads. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, debris from a Russian missile pierced the roofs of the sixth and seventh film studios. A fire broke out at the site but has already been extinguished. No one at the film studio was injured. Experts are inspecting the buildings and assessing the damage. #RussianWarCrimes #RussiaUkraineWar

🎤 Trademarking the Self: Giorgia Meloni’s Legal Defense Against AI Voice Cloning Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed an application with the EU Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice to protect herself against AI and deepfakes. The application includes a four-second recording in which the Prime Minister twice says, "Io sono Giorgia Meloni"—"I am Giorgia Meloni." Why is this a potential turning point for information security in Europe? 👇 Voice cloning is rapidly becoming an effective weapon in hybrid warfare: • Only a few seconds of audio are needed to create an accurate clone. • Audio deepfakes are harder for social media moderation systems to detect than video ones. • They spread quickly via messaging apps, where visual context is absent. According to the AP News, manipulative images of Meloni have frequently circulated online in recent years, sometimes being passed off as genuine. These included a fake photo showing her sitting on a bed in her underwear. Meloni states that deepfakes can "mislead, manipulate, and harm anyone," and she strongly urges people to verify online content before sharing it. Photo: Governo italiano #AI #Meloni #deepfake #socialmedia

📢 AI Fakes on TikTok: How Russia Is Spreading Disinformation About Ukraine’s “Vivaldi” Operation Operation “Vivaldi” is a Ukrainian offensive operation. But #Russia is exploiting it in a coordinated information campaign aimed at undermining support for #Ukraine and spreading distrust among military personnel, foreign volunteers, analysts, and Western audiences. Russian bots are circulating videos featuring individuals posing as Ukrainian soldiers who promise to reveal the "truth" about Operation "Vivaldi." These figures complain about a supposed "lack of proper weaponry and competent command," while also accusing the West of waging a "proxy war." According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, these videos are AI-generated. The Center emphasizes that none of the individuals depicted—whether posing as "soldiers" or "foreign analysts"—exist in official databases, irrefutably confirming that the video content is entirely artificial. #RussiaIsATerroristState #fakenews

🗳️ What will Ukraine’s first post-war elections look like? We often discuss how the media should prepare for them. But there is a more fundamental question: will today’s media system still exist by the time these elections take place? Ukrainian media are already facing a combination of pressures: a shrinking advertising market, economic losses caused by the war, uncertainty over state funding, audience displacement, and the rapid transformation of news consumption by AI. At the same time, future politicians may increasingly rely not on traditional media, but on social media algorithms and AI content optimization to reach voters. So when we talk about the information environment of the first post-war elections, are we actually describing the future—or building an elegant model based on assumptions that may no longer hold? Galyna Petrenko, director at NGO Detector Media, explores this question in her new column. 👉 Read the full column: en.detector.media/post/spher… #Ukraine #Election #RussiaUkraineWar

📚 Works by Taras Shevchenko added to Lithuania’s school curriculum This academic year, they will be recommended reading for eighth- and eleventh-grade students. Starting next year, Shevchenko’s works will become mandatory for 11th graders who study Lithuanian language and literature at an advanced level, LRT reports. The recommended works include The Testament and To the Dead, and the Living, and the Unborn…. Teachers may also choose other texts by the poet. Lithuanian Education Minister Raminta Popovienė described Shevchenko as a European-level author whose works provide an opportunity to discuss freedom, identity, and human dignity. The ministry said the decision is intended to strengthen cultural ties with #Ukraine and support the integration of Ukrainian children studying in #Lithuania.

🇱🇻 The pro-Ukrainian United List party of incumbent Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has won #Latvia’s parliamentary elections, according to LSM. The United List will secure 41 seats in the 15th Saeima, the highest result achieved by any party in a parliamentary election since Latvia restored its independence. For comparison, the Latvian Way won 36 seats in the Saeima in 1993, Unity won 33 seats in 2010, and Harmony won 31 seats in the snap election in 2011. 🇺🇦 Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelenskyy congratulated Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs on his “convincing victory” in the parliamentary elections. “This strong result reflects the Latvian people’s trust in your leadership and vision for the country’s future. Ukraine deeply values Latvia’s steadfast friendship and support. I look forward to further strengthening our strategic partnership. Wishing you every success in serving the Latvian people!” Zelenskyy wrote. Photo: LETA