Olesia Mykhailenko - attack 01.04.2026

On April 1, 2026, a post mentioning journalist Olesia Mykhailenko from the outlet Grunt appeared on the “Base 111” accounts on Telegram and X. It begins with the following wording: “Olesia Mykhailenko is a propagandist, justifies the crimes of the TCC, supports or calls for the arrest of critics of the authorities, publicly supports the usurper Zelensky, and promotes endless war instead of peace. Host of the Grunt outlet — owned by the Office of the President, run by an SBU officer. A regime propagandist on ‘economic issues’.”

The post is accompanied by screenshots from Mykhailenko’s social media, where she comments on mobilization issues. It also includes her photos, among them an image of the journalist in underwear and high heels. In addition, attacks against the journalist are present in the comments under the posts. She is referred to as a “parasite,” “scum,” “Orksana,” “slut,” and “filth.”

Some of the comments include:

“Why do all these female propagandists look like some kind of whores? Is this a trend or fashion?”
“A ‘specialist’ of a wide profile!☺️😇🤣”
“A typical phenotype from a textbook on ethnic Ukrainians)))” (with an attached photo of the journalist)
“They’ll make her an ambassador soon”
“And she also has nice long legs”

Olesia Mykhailenko herself responded to this attack in her X, posting a screenshot of a correspondence with her mother, where her mother is interested in the origin of the post in “Base 111”. Comments with elements of online attacks were also recorded under this post. The main message that is traced there is accusations of “treason” and working for the “green government” (meaning Volodymyr Zelensky).

Thus, this case demonstrates clear signs of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), including a combination of online defamation, gendered disinformation, and a reputational attack. These claims are reinforced by manipulative content—such as screenshots of her statements taken out of context—which create a distorted image and undermine trust in her professional activity. The simultaneous spread of these narratives across multiple platforms suggests a potentially coordinated nature of the attack.

A distinct gendered dimension of the abuse is also evident: the use of sexualized images of the journalist, comments about her appearance, body, and clothing, as well as misogynistic language aimed at humiliating her specifically as a woman. This is accompanied by dehumanization and hate speech. The combination of sexualization, insults, and political discrediting represents a typical TFGBV tactic aimed not only at damaging the journalist’s reputation but also at pushing her out of the public sphere through pressure, stigmatization, and humiliation.

It should be noted that the “Base 111” channel has previously carried out online attacks against Ukrainian women journalists, including Anastasiia Horpinchenko, Olena Kurbanova, and host Yanina Sokolova, among others.