“The ‘PRESS’ Marking Has Become A Target”: Ukrainian Broadcaster Journalist Daria Litovchenko Speaks At OSCE Conference In Warsaw

15.10.2026, 13:23 uatv.ua

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 workers face while covering the war.

During her remarks, Daria Litovchenko, who has worked as a FREEДОМ correspondent in Kherson since 2022, spoke about the danger Russian drones pose to civilians and journalists documenting the aftermath of Russian attacks. The journalist emphasized that traditional media markings no longer guarantee safety near the front line.

“The ‘PRESS’ marking has long since stopped guaranteeing you safety — quite the opposite, it has become a target. The Russians have been ignoring conventions for more than ten years now. We don’t need to mark ourselves, we need to camouflage ourselves,” Daria Litovchenko emphasized.

She also shared her own experience using a drone detector, which has repeatedly helped her respond to danger in time. At the same time, such devices cannot detect all types of drones, including those controlled via fiber-optic cable. In Daria’s view, traditional journalist safety protocols need to be updated to reflect the realities of modern warfare, and drone detectors should become a necessary piece of protective equipment alongside body armor, helmets, and first-aid kits.

During her remarks, Daria Litovchenko recalled the deaths of colleagues — FREEДОМ TV channel journalist Olena Hramova (Hubanova) and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin, killed in a Russian “Lancet” drone attack in Kramatorsk in October 2025. Another member of the film crew, Oleksandr Kolychev, was severely wounded.

Describing crimes by Russian forces against civilians, the FREEдом correspondent shared, among other things, the story of a 66-year-old resident of Kherson region who lost a leg in a Russian drone strike. Due to drone activity, medics could not reach the injured woman, so her evacuation was carried out by police officers with the help of the military.

The international discussion “Under Fire: Challenges Of Drone Warfare For Journalists And Volunteers” took place on October 13 on the sidelines of the OSCE Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw. It was organized by the ZMINA Human Rights Center, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), and Ukraine’s Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna. The event was held with support from the Permanent Mission of the European Union to the OSCE, the UK Permanent Delegation to the OSCE, and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee.

The discussion was joined by Deputy Head of the EU Permanent Mission to the OSCE Catalina Bolma-Dupont, ZMINA Human Rights Center civil society protection director Ana More, IMI freedom of speech monitoring department head Kateryna Diachuk, humanitarian volunteer Bohdan Zuiakov, and representatives of international diplomatic missions.

Participants discussed the growing threats facing journalists covering the war and documenting war crimes, and volunteers carrying out civilian evacuations and delivering humanitarian aid to frontline settlements.

According to the Institute of Mass Information, 139 media workers have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 15 of them while carrying out professional duties. The ZMINA Human Rights Center has also documented the deaths of 115 civilian volunteers, including 15 foreign nationals, as a result of Russian military actions during humanitarian missions.

Particular attention was paid to journalists’ and volunteers’ access to protective equipment against drones. Representatives of human rights organizations emphasized that drone detectors and other non-lethal protective equipment should not automatically be considered as means of participating in hostilities or call into question the civilian status of those who use them.

Following the discussion, international partners were called on to increase support for journalists and humanitarian workers, including facilitating the provision of drone detectors, protective equipment, armored vehicles, and safety training. Participants also emphasized the need to adapt international approaches to protecting civilians to the realities of modern drone warfare, and to ensure independent investigation of attacks on media workers and volunteers.

Daria Litovchenko is originally from Sloviansk, Donetsk region, where she experienced Russian occupation in 2014. Due to her activist work, she ended up on the occupiers’ “kill lists.” She has worked in media since 2015. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the journalist evacuated her family from Sloviansk, but returned to professional work within a few months.

In 2022, she was among the first journalists to arrive in newly liberated Kherson. Daria initially lived in Mykolaiv and regularly traveled to Kherson for filming, before later moving to the frontline city, where she continues covering the aftermath of Russian attacks and the lives of local residents. In June 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Daria Litovchenko the Order of Merit, 3rd class.

It should be recalled that Daria Litovchenko was also previously among the finalists of the “War Through The Lens” competition held by TRO Media, in the “Best Cameraman” category. For the competition, she submitted the report “HOT FOOTAGE! Ukrainian Marines Practice Tactics For Eliminating The Enemy,” dedicated to the combat training of Ukrainian marines.