Russian authorities have sentenced two Ukrainian media workers seized by Russian forces in occupied Melitopol in August 2023 to long prison terms, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

RSF says the convictions reflect Russia’s broader campaign to silence independent media in occupied territories, where Ukrainian journalists face harsh detention and unfair trials.

Heorhiy Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel Ria-Melitopol, was sentenced on 2 September to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, plus a one-year ban on internet use. 

The court accused him of “high treason” and “incitement to extremism.” It claimed the channel was used for “anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian propaganda” and to pass information to Ukrainian intelligence.

Vladyslav Hershon, an administrator of Melitopol tse Ukraina (“Melitopol is Ukraine”), received a 15-year sentence on 3 September from a military court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. 

He was prosecuted for “terrorism.” In letters to his family, Hershon described his detention as “every morning is hell.” 

RSF condemned the sentences as a “travesty of justice” and warned that they signal a chilling precedent for the other journalists still imprisoned in Melitopol. 

Only one of the group of seven journalists arrested in August 2023, Mark Kaliush, has been released to date in a prisoner exchange.

The remaining detained journalists face ongoing legal proceedings. Maksym Rupchov’s next hearing is scheduled for 8 October, Oleksandr Malyshev’s for 15 September, and Yana Suvorova’s for 18 September. Anastasia Hlukhovska has been missing since her arrest, with her location undisclosed by Russian authorities.

RSF emphasizes that these prosecutions are part of a broader pattern of repression targeting journalists in occupied Ukrainian territories. Media professionals are treated as spies, face baseless charges, forced confessions, and denial of fair defense. 

“These are not trials, but political spectacles,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk. “Russia is weaponising its justice system to criminalise independent journalism in the occupied territories.” 

“We call for the immediate release of Heorhiy Levchenko, Vladyslav Hershon, and all journalists imprisoned for their reporting,” she continued. 

Melitopol, in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia oblast, has been under Russian occupation since February 2022. 

At least 26 Ukrainian journalists remain imprisoned by the Kremlin either in occupied territories or inside Russia. 

Across occupied regions and within Russia, Ukrainian journalists face severe repression. Their detentions are widely considered violations of international law and could amount to war crimes.