Content warning: Sensitive material! This case, like many others we have documented, contains sensitive content: sexualized language and hate speech. We have to publish that to illustrate the severity of online violence faced by women in journalism every day.
On May 16, 2025, during the evening broadcast of TSN as part of the United News telethon, TV presenter Solomiia Vitvitska became the target of a massive online attack on the 1+1 YouTube channel.
The broadcast covered topics such as: “Istanbul without Putin and Trump,” “Occupiers strike residential buildings in Pokrovsk,” “FPV drone attacks on Bilenke, Zaporizhzhia,” “Ukraine receives the remains of 909 fallen defenders,” “Vyshyvanka is the national Ukrainian shirt,” “Details of the negotiations in Turkey,” and others.
Under the broadcast of the episode on the TSN YouTube channel, many viewers began posting degrading and sexualized comments aimed not at the content of the news or the presenter’s professionalism, but at her appearance.
“When Solomiia speaks, I only look at her chest, all my thoughts are there,” a user wrote. Another added: “Dear producers, change your presenter’s outfit. First of all, why that dress if she has no figure? And second, her nipples are showing, get her a different bra,” or “You look beautiful as you are, Solomiia…”
The comments contained sexualized expressions, public body shaming, offensive nicknames such as ‘Masturbitska,’ a distortion of the journalist’s surname with sexual undertones.
There were also disparaging jokes like “I guess, she has the Mariana Trench down there” and ageist remarks like: “The shmarathoners now have only old-lady presenters.”
This incident is a clear example of a mob-style harassment effect, where several anonymous users pile on comments, amplifying the aggression.
What is behind such comments?
The goal of such remarks is to humiliate the journalist, divert attention from her professional role to her looks, and devalue her work through gender stereotypes. This is a typical strategy of digital violence: sexualize, ridicule, humiliate, just to silence.
Such actions not only cause emotional harm but also foster a dangerous culture of impunity in the public space, where misogyny and sexism become “new normal” in the comments under videos featuring female presenters.
According to the Her Voice, Their Target study conducted by Women in Media in partnership with UNESCO in 2025, 81% of Ukrainian women journalists (out of 180 surveyed) experienced online violence, yet only 64% recognized it as such. In 14% of cases, threats went offline. The main consequences are worsening mental health, reduced productivity, and self-censorship. Public-facing women — those who host shows, discuss sensitive topics, or have high media visibility, are particularly at risk.
Women in Media documented the attack on Solomiia Vitvitska as an example of gender-based online violence. Complaints about the offensive comments were submitted to YouTube as a violation of the platform’s policy. However, YouTube did not respond and failed to remove the harmful content.
According to Tetiana Avdieieva, Senior Legal Counsel at Digital Security Lab, sexist comments, pornographic deepfakes, online threats, and other forms of gender-based violence are used to target women in media more and more often. “Unfortunately, platforms do not always respond to reports properly or promptly,” Tetiana said. “Often this is due to a lack of qualified Ukrainian-speaking moderators, poor algorithms, or a general lack of gender sensitivity on the part of the platforms. In other words, neither algorithms nor moderators are trained to recognize such statements as hate speech.”
However, the lawyer emphasizes that Ukraine’s accession to the EU could significantly improve content management on platforms. Specifically, the EU Digital Services Act obliges major platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Meta to implement mechanisms to detect and counter gender-based violence. Joining the EU legal framework will allow Ukrainian users to file reports with platforms and, if ignored, sue them and hold them accountable for their failure to respond to illegal content.
We also encourage newsrooms to remind their audiences about ethical communication standards on their official channels and to moderate comments.
Recently, Women in Media NGO has launched a platform to document cases of online violence against Ukrainian journalists targeted for their professional activities. From now on, the interactive map allows users to track and analyze such attacks, helping to assess the scale of the problem and work toward its resolution.
If you, as a journalist, have been subjected to an online attack or witnessed such incident, your information is extremely important. Report the case to help us identify threats and protect the rights of women in media.
If you have experienced an online attack and need support, we are here to help. Get free cybersecurity advice, psychological support, legal protection, or other necessary assistance on request.
This case was documented under the initiative supported by the Dutch Foreign Ministry as part of the project “Strengthening the Resilience of Women Journalists in Ukraine: Combating Online Violence and Gendered Disinformation,” implemented by the Women in Media NGO.