Life Under Occupation

Since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in 2014, large parts of the country have remained under temporary occupation, largely closed off to journalistic scrutiny. These territories remain shrouded in silence, with little insight into the lives of people enduring repression and isolation.

Because physical presence can cost reporters their lives, coverage of these areas often lacks depth and continuity – despite its critical importance for exposing ongoing human rights abuses, ensuring accountability, and informing international response.

In response, this project is aimed to enhance journalists’ knowledge and skills in covering the complex topic of life in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia. It also seeks to build a cross-border community of professionals eager to investigate the issue.

The project will begin with an in-person meeting in Kyiv on 14-18 July 2025. During their stay, 16 selected journalists from Germany, Poland, France, and Ukraine will go through an intensive training, focusing on effective and safe reporting techniques. By the end of the workshop they form teams and develop story ideas to report on over the coming months.

After pitching the story idea, each participant will receive a stipend of €1,000. Additionally, the project will offer travel grants for the teams to cover their research trips to and within Ukraine. Participants are not expected to visit occupied territories for reporting, as this will put them under enormous danger. The workshop is supposed to give them enough knowledge and understanding of reporting techniques to investigate the topic keeping safe the sources and themselves.

Research trips are expected to result in a series of high-quality journalistic pieces that will be published in German, Polish, French, and Ukrainian media outlets.

The project will conclude with a meeting in Berlin, where participants will share their acquired knowledge and experience with other professionals to spark greater interest in the topic.

The project is implemented by n-ost in cooperation with the Public Interest Journalism Lab, a Ukrainian NGO focused on enhancing in-depth reporting of Ukraine and making foreign journalists familiar with the Ukrainian context.