🎂 25 years of Detector Media: what does it mean to be a media watchdog for a quarter of a century? For 25 years, Detector Media has been monitoring Ukraine’s media landscape, analysing its changes and speaking openly about problems — from media standards and freedom of speech to disinformation and the challenges facing journalists. In a special anniversary interview, Nataliia Lygachova, Head of Detector Media, looks back at how it all began, why the organisation has always treated criticism as a tool for change, and what keeps the team moving forward after 25 years. 💬 “I want criticism to bring about change.” What has changed in Ukrainian media over these 25 years — and what challenges remain? 👉 Read the full interview: en.detector.media/post/natal… #Ukraine #media #journalism

📚 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

📰 In India, three female journalists accuse police of sexual harassment during protests According to the BBC, the journalists reported inappropriate touching by law enforcement officers while protests were being dispersed in New Delhi. Police said they referred the complaint to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial” investigation. The Press Club of India has called for immediate action, stressing journalists’ right to work without fear. Protesters in New Delhi and Mumbai are demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over a large-scale revision of electoral rolls that removed 130 million names. Protesters accuse him of acting in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. The Election Commission rejects the allegations, saying the changes were made to remove duplicate entries and records of people who are no longer eligible to vote. #India #Journalism

🎉 In September, Detector Media (Telekrytyka) celebrates its 25th anniversary. As we mark the first quarter of a century, we decided to turn to our well-known readers and ask them to share their thoughts about us. We hope this will be interesting for our readers as well, because the history of DM/Telekrytyka is, in fact, a major part of the history of Ukrainian journalism as a whole and of independent Ukrainian journalism. Today, their memories and thoughts about Detector Media are shared by Oksana Romaniuk, head of the Institute of Mass Information; Ukrainian MP and Espreso media manager Mykola Kniazhytskyi; Ukrainian Radio executive producer Yuliia Sheludko; Druha Rika band leader Valerii Kharchyshyn; film director Volodymyr Tykhyi; and media expert and media manager Oleksii Mustafin. 🔗 Read more: en.detector.media/post/reput…

✉️ A letter from Ukrainian journalist and serviceman Vladyslav Holovin to his son has been included in the international collection “Letters to Our Sons.” The project was launched by British actor Stephen Graham, star and co-creator of the Netflix series Adolescence, and psychology lecturer Orli Klein. The idea emerged following the success of the series as a continuation of an important conversation about fatherhood, masculinity, and relationships between parents and their sons. Of more than 1,600 letters submitted from around the world, only selected texts were included in the final book. Alongside Vladyslav’s letter, the collection features letters by Javier Bardem, Riz Ahmed, Tom Daley, Louis Theroux and others. 💬 “The hardest thing for me during these years of separation has not been the missiles, the shelling, or the power outages. The most painful thing is coming home from work, opening the door, and not hearing: ‘Daddy’s home!’... To fight the enemies who attacked our country, I have to sacrifice the time I wanted to spend with you,” Vladyslav writes. Vladyslav Holovin was legally entitled to leave Ukraine after the full-scale invasion began, but he chose to stay and report the truth about the war, and later joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his letter, he reflects candidly on the war, the pain of separation, lost time, and his own mistakes as a father. 📘 The book Letters to Our Sons has already been published by British publisher Bloomsbury. A Ukrainian translation is expected in 2027. #Ukraine #RussiaUkraineWar #StandWithUkraine

🚑 A car hit a TV crew in Mexico during a live broadcast. GamaVision reporter Alma de la Rosa Flores and cameraman Cristo Morales were covering the aftermath of heavy rains in Monterrey when a nearby SUV lost control and crashed into them. NDTV reports. The broadcast was switched to the studio, and the presenter asked colleagues to provide the crew’s location so that help could be sent. Medics provided first aid and took both journalists to a hospital for examination. Both survived, and their injuries were not serious.

📢 Kremlin Disinformation: How Russia Targets the Baltic States Russia actively employs intimidation tactics to undermine the internal stability of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Atlantic reports. These actions aim to weaken their defenses and reduce support for #Ukraine. Baltic states are bolstering their defense capabilities in the face of the threat posed by the Russian Federation. Russian sources take facts regarding NATO deterrence and defense readiness and spin them as "the Baltics preparing to attack Russia" or "opening a second front." Key disinformation themes: 📌 "The Baltic states as aggressors" One disinformation narrative claims that the Baltic states are aggressors leading the West in the fight against #Russia. This claim gained traction following Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, when Russian officials falsely accused the Baltic states of opening "air corridors" for Ukrainian drones. 📌 The "second front" and "kamikaze" states narrative Another common theme suggests that the West is losing the struggle against Russia and is therefore attempting to open a "second front" in the Baltic region, portraying the Baltic states as "kamikaze" nations ready to sacrifice themselves to weaken Russia. Any scheduled NATO exercises, the construction of border defense lines, or the expansion of the Alliance's troop presence are framed as "provocations" and "preparations for an attack on the Russian Federation." 📌 Doubts about NATO’s Article 5 At the same time, the adversary is attempting to undermine faith in collective security by convincing the Baltic states that, in the event of a crisis, NATO allies would refuse to defend the region to avoid direct escalation with Moscow. 📌 Economic intimidation Propaganda actively exaggerates the cost of supporting Ukraine, claiming that aid to refugees and the transfer of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine have allegedly drained local budgets and left the Baltic states themselves defenseless. 💡 The Kremlin’s primary goal is strategic paralysis. Russia seeks to sow panic and convince the societies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania that developing their own defenses and supporting Ukraine makes them inevitable targets for escalation. #RussiaUkraineWar #RussiaIsATerroristState

"The enemy is tearing Kyiv apart." 📢 A new report in The Guardian details the intensifying Russian attacks on Kyiv's infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and bridges coming under fire. The Mayor of Kyiv states that it is no longer possible to pretend it is "peacetime." International reporting highlights a distinct shift in tactics: the use of jet-powered drones aimed at terrorizing the civilian population and disrupting the normal rhythm of life. From parents sheltering with schoolchildren to damaged research centers, the human cost continues to rise. The Kremlin’s strategy remains focused on psychological exhaustion and societal destabilization. Independent media coverage is crucial: the world must see that Russia’s campaign aims to break the resilience of the civilian population. #WarInUkraine #Kyiv #MediaResilience #RussiaUkraineWar