On October 22, 2025, Channel 24 TV host Daryna Trunova published a Facebook post about Roman Sopin, the son of her friends. The man had been taken by representatives of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) and sent to a military medical commission. Later, it was reported that Sopin had suffered a traumatic brain injury and died in the hospital — the circumstances of his death are currently under police investigation.
“If I hadn’t heard this story personally, and if it hadn’t involved my friends, I wouldn’t have believed it possible. That’s why I’m asking for PUBLIC ATTENTION,” — Trunova’s post began.
On October 24, 2025, Channel 24’s YouTube channel published Trunova’s video report on the incident, titled: “DEATH at the TCC! New details of the TRAGEDY. Listen to what the MILITARY OFFICE says. URGENT reaction.”
She also shared the video on her Facebook page.
After trying to draw attention to the tragedy, Daryna Trunova faced a wave of online attacks from internet users. For example, a user named Oleksii Osquer published a separate post calling her “a fat journawhore and TV host from Channel 24 or from the ‘Shmarathon’, hyping herself on a man’s death caused by TCC officers.”
Although Channel 24 is not part of the “United News” national TV marathon, Trunova noted in comments to Women in Media that “people don’t care.” She said that, in addition to hateful posts and comments under her publications, unknown users began messaging her privately. Screenshots provided by Trunova show that she was called “a mic stand,” “a paramecium,” and “a propagandist from the TV marathon.”
“Last week, before my friends’ son died, I interviewed a TCC representative from Kyiv region. We were trying to debunk myths around the TCC, and I asked him provocative questions about the so-called ‘bus raids’. People twisted everything — claiming that I first defended the TCC and then was ‘ordered’ to criticize them,” Trunova explained.
In the comments to her posts, users accused the journalist of being “personally responsible” for Sopin’s death, claiming that she had previously “covered up” the behavior of TCC representatives and now should “live with it.” Trunova says she feels uncertain about how to act — she would like to continue reporting on the issue, but her friends fear for her safety.
“I’ve been calling for fair mobilization — for people to have a choice during service and equal rights. Nothing has changed. I continue to speak up about it, including in this program, where we also reported on beatings by TCC staff. But some strange people started attacking me with accusations,” the journalist added.
This case represents a classic example of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), which includes gendered defamation, sexism, disinformation and professional discreditation, victim-blaming, psychological intimidation, and online harassment. The aim of such attacks is to undermine public trust in the journalist, devalue her voice in the public sphere, and create a climate of fear that may push her toward self-censorship or withdrawal from professional activity.
Women in Media NGO documents online attacks on Ukrainian women journalists on an interactive map. If you have faced online violence because of your professional activity and wish to share your story, please fill out this online form or contact us at ngo.womeninmedia@gmail.com.