Iryna Sampan - attack 03.03.2026

On March 3, 2026, a joint livestream featuring journalist, war correspondent, and author of the project Na linii vohniu (On the Line of Fire) Iryna Sampan and political analyst and blogger Oleh Saakian was published on YouTube. The discussion was titled “Iran, Israel, the U.S. — What to Expect and What the Consequences Will Be. Trump and Putin.”

Comments under the video contained remarks targeting the journalist’s appearance and manner of speaking, for example: “Her face is annoying,” “An uninteresting guest, like a sleepy fly,” “A nice girl, but still too weak for you, Oleh.”

Similar comments directed at Iryna Sampan were also posted under other joint livestreams with Oleh Saakian. For example, under a broadcast from November 2025, users referred to the journalist as Saakian’s “beloved,” “future Mrs. Saakian,” and “the girlfriend you brought on air.” The NGO Women in Media has previously documented repeated online attacks against Iryna Sampan on its online attack map.

This case demonstrates signs of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), primarily in the forms of sexist remarks, misogynistic online harassment, appearance-based humiliation, and gender-based discrediting of journalist Iryna Sampan. Such statements are a typical form of gender-based online harassment because they seek to devalue a woman specifically as a media professional.

An additional sign of TFGBV is the systematic sexualized commenting directed at the journalist under other joint broadcasts with Oleh Saakian, where she is described as his “beloved,” “future Mrs. Saakian,” or “girlfriend.” These assumptions shift attention away from the journalist’s professional work toward alleged romantic relations with a male colleague, which is a typical form of sexualized online harassment and gender-based discrediting.