On December 23, 2025, as part of a communication platform that brings together law enforcement agencies and human rights organizations, another working meeting took place. It focused on investigating and preventing cybercrimes against civil society representatives, including journalists.
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the National Police, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Security Service of Ukraine attended the event, alongside civil society organizations working on human rights, freedom of speech, and cybersecurity. Women in Media presented cases of online attacks targeting women journalists, including deepfake attacks, harassment, and gendered disinformation, including attacks involving generative AI tools.
Liza Kuzmenko, Head of Women in Media, also spoke about the initiative Map of Online Attacks Against Women Journalists — an open resource that documents incidents of gender-based online violence against women media professionals. Designed with international experience in mind, the platform provides a clear picture of the scale and nature of cyberthreats targeting women journalists and facilitates tracking responses and follow-up steps after attacks.
Particular attention during the meeting was given to the need for systematic cooperation between law enforcement and civil society organizations, effective communication, consistent investigations, and raising public awareness about risks in the digital environment.
During the meeting, Women in Media, within the framework of projects supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (“Strengthening the Resilience of Women Journalists in Ukraine: Combating Online Violence and Gendered Disinformation”) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (“Not an Artificial Threat: Countering AI-Driven and AI-Enhanced Violence Against Women Journalists in Ukraine”), proposed publishing informational and analytical materials produced by civil society participants of the platform on the website of the Cyber Gate project.
In particular, the NGO proposed creating a dedicated section that would help raise awareness among citizens, human rights defenders, and media representatives about digital risks and response mechanisms for online attacks. The initiative was supported by members of the working group as well as representatives of the cyber police.
“Openness, trust, and continuous information exchange between law enforcement agencies and civil society are extremely important to us. This is not only about responding to crimes that have already been committed. It is also about joint prevention, training, and support for those facing cyberthreats. We appreciate the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, and our partners’ willingness for dialogue and practical cooperation,” said Liza Kuzmenko, Head of Women in Media.
Meeting participants agreed on continued information exchange on cases of online violence and cybercrime; joint educational cybersecurity initiatives; and stronger cooperation to protect journalists, human rights defenders, and activists.
The communication platform that brings together law enforcement agencies and human rights defenders is one of the measures within the implementation of the National Strategy for Promoting Civil Society Development in Ukraine for 2021-2026. The initiative has been running for the third consecutive year and aims to establish information exchange and discuss challenges related to ensuring the safety of civil society representatives’ work.