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Ukrainian Tech Journalists Raising Funds to Help Survivors
The group have turned from reporting on the tech sector in Ukraine to providing information to help readers through the Russian invasion.
Ukraine tech journalists have launched a fundraising campaign to help Ukrainians survive Russia’s attack on the country.
Journalists from the MC.today, IT publication ITC.ua and developer website Highload are providing information to readers on how to survive Russian attacks across towns and cities in the country.
Advice includes how to hide from bombings, escape a gunfight, how to survive an explosive blast, and choosing the safest bomb shelter.
Vera Chernysh, founder of Creators Media Group, the parent company of all three websites, hopes the information will help protect Ukrainians caught up in the fighting.
A fundraising page has been set up by the 40 Ukrainian tech journalists to enable them to continue to report in the harshest of conditions.
Commenting on the campaign, Chernysh said the tech websites are attracting 300,000 Ukrainian readers a day. “We had a beautiful dream: to inspire Ukrainians to believe in themselves, to do more, and to turn Ukraine into a prosperous country.
“On 24 February, Russia and its president Putin decided to deprive us of this dream. He sent military troops to our cities. Launched rockets at our houses.
“Instead of tech news, we started to tell our readers about the war. We’ve put all our effort into helping our readers survive here and now.”
Currently, there are around 200,000 IT professionals posted in Ukraine, and the IT sector is being seen as playing a key role after the war ends.
The money will likely be spent on salaries for the journalistic team, technical support for its websites, and help for those who have relocated to different countries to escape the war.
The aim is to raise €300,000, to last four to five months.
Chernysh added: “In our country there is no safe place and still our journalists keep on working from bomb shelters, from villages in the middle of nowhere, and from other countries where they had to escape from the atrocities of this war.
“Before the war, the bulk of the income of Creators Media Group came from selling advertising to local and international companies operating on the Ukrainian market. The day the war started; the Ukrainian advertising market shrank to zero.
“The media group lost its main income source almost in an instant. During the war, local businesses don’t need advertising, since most of them have stopped operations altogether.”
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She added: “I don’t want to shut down my publications. My obligation is to go on supporting my journalists and their families. And keep our media working for our readers. Please help me do it.”
Tech journalist at ITC.ua, Pavel Chyikin, added: “I never thought I would hear rocket explosions, or that my five-year-old son would hear them. It’s very scary.
“The feeling of safety disappears instantly, and only the fear remains – for relatives and friends, for your own life.”
You can contribute to the cause here.
