Daria Riabchun - attack 26.01.2026

On 26 January 2026, a report by journalist Daria Riabchun aired live on the Kyiv24 TV channel, focusing on the situation in the Troieshchyna residential area on the left bank of the capital. Due to regular Russian shelling, Kyiv’s largest district, Desnianskyi—which includes Troieshchyna—was for some time completely cut off from heating systems, and many buildings were left without electricity and water for several days.

Daria Riabchun appeared on camera wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest, which triggered the spread of memes, humorous photo collages, and various comments directed at her. In particular, a wave of jokes was linked to the alleged “reputation” of Troieshchyna. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the residential area on the city’s outskirts was still actively being developed, it gained a reputation as a marginalized area associated with “gopniks” and street crime. These stereotypes related to Troieshchyna are still sometimes actively used today, even though they no longer reflect reality.

The comments section also contained attacks targeting journalist Daria Riabchun, including hate speech, gendered disinformation, and online defamation. Examples include slurs such as “zhurnashliukha,” “crazy,” “circus,” as well as insinuations that the journalist wears a helmet “to obtain combatant status.” Sexism was also documented, including so-called “benevolent” sexism: the journalist was referred to as a “child,” “little girl,” or “girl,” and her appearance was commented on using phrases such as “rosy-cheeked” or “blood with milk.”

Riabchun later explained that she went on air wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest because this is required by the channel’s safety rules, as an air raid alert was in effect in the city at the time. The Kyiv channel later published the same explanation on its social media pages: “In fact, journalists appear wearing helmets and bulletproof vests only during air raid alerts 🚨 This is not about a ‘dangerous neighborhood,’ but about protection during wartime.”

On 30 January, the Kyiv channel aired another segment that closely examined audience reactions to the journalist’s appearance on camera in protective gear. Daria Riabchun produced a follow-up report featuring Troieshchyna-based blogger Anetta Barsivna, who appeared dressed in a fur coat and hat and brought fur clothing for Daria Riabchun.

Overall, this case illustrates how a routine element of journalistic work in wartime can become a trigger for a wave of online attacks that devalue a journalist’s professional role. The focus is deliberately shifted away from shelling and the humanitarian consequences for local residents toward the reporter’s appearance and personality— a typical mechanism of technology-facilitated gender-based online violence. At the same time, the response by Daria Riabchun and the editorial team demonstrates an alternative strategy for dealing with hate: not ignoring it or escalating the conflict, but reframing the situation through self-irony.