Rebooting in the Carpathians: what were the autumn and winter residences for media professionals like?
At the end of 2025, the Lviv Media Forum, in collaboration with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), held two residencies in the Carpathians for Ukrainian journalists covering the war and sensitive topics. The media professionals spent a week in the mountains, where they had the opportunity to recharge and enjoy relative safety alongside their colleagues.
In November and December, the journalists and their loved ones traveled to Verkhovyna. There, they went hiking, attended training sessions, and met with local artisans. A total of twenty-six journalists and their partners participated in the two retreats.
“Sometimes, in order to move forward, you need to stop. So, the week in the Carpathians, which the Lviv Media Forum gave me and my colleagues, became a rescue ring,” wrote Olena Maksymenko, a war reporter and participant in the retreat, upon her return home.
During the December retreat, journalists immersed themselves in Hutsul culture. They visited the famous Kosiv market, an ancient wooden church, and a cemetery in Kryvorivnia. They also watched Sergiy Parajanov's classic European film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. Discussions and movie nights were hosted by Igor Balinsky, co-founder of the Choven publishing house.
"A week in the Carpathians with colleagues like you, with shared experiences and views. People I didn't know before, but who felt so familiar and close. And at the same time, there was no need to look for a bodyguard or an operator with an accreditation card, book an apartment based on the floor and the nearest shelter, think about everyday life, conduct interviews, and film. You just had to go there, where everything was taken care of for you. Just like that. Like in a fairy tale. And on St. Nicholas Day, too," shared retreat participant and journalist Iryna Storozhenko.
Retreats in Verkhovyna are part of an ongoing program of psychological support for media workers during wartime. Between 2022 and 2025, 380 media workers and their loved ones participated in these retreats. In addition to organizing retreats, we cover the costs of individual psychological counseling for media workers.
In 2025, retreats from the Lviv Media Forum are part of the Voices of Ukraine support program, which is part of the SAFE program coordinated by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). Voices of Ukraine is implemented within the framework of the Hannah Arendt Initiative.
Photo: Iryna Storozhenko, Olena Maksymenko