A year in review: Emergency Media Support in 2025

Throughout 2025, the Lviv Media Forum, in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy, implemented an emergency support program for editorial offices and freelance journalists from frontline regions of Ukraine. Through the Emergency Media Support Program, journalists received equipment to continue working during blackouts, as well as devices and licensed software needed to carry out their professional tasks.

A separate component of the program provided financial assistance to editorial offices that sought support to restore their premises after damage caused by Russian shelling. In particular, the program supported Cukr, Poltavska Hvilya, and Suspilne Donbas.

The Cukr office was damaged during a Russian missile strike on the center of Sumy on April 13, 2025.

“The Cukr office has been hit. Our colleagues are already working at the scene,” wrote Dmytro Tishchenko, co-founder and head of the publication, that morning.

On the night of April 23, 2025, Russian drones attacked Poltava. The shock wave damaged the ceiling of the Poltavska Hvilya editorial office and partially destroyed its interior structures. The newsroom requested emergency assistance under the program.

On the night of November 18, 2025, Russian shelling of Dnipro destroyed the studios of Suspilne Dnipro and Suspilne Donbas. The teams organized remote work during blackouts, and the Suspilne Donbas branch requested support to purchase energy-efficient equipment.

Through the Emergency Media Support Program, assistance was also provided to Ukrainer, MIST, the Myrnohrad city newspaper Ridne Misto, Kramatorsk Post, and other media outlets from seven regions of Ukraine.

The Emergency Media Support Program is part of the broader, systemic support for media outlets and freelance journalists coordinated by the Lviv Media Forum during the war. The program focuses on providing immediate assistance when infrastructure damage, loss of equipment, or security risks directly threaten the ability of newsrooms to continue their work.