Viktoriia Kolomiiets - attack 06.04.2026

On April 6, 2026, a post targeting hromadske journalist Viktoriia Kolomiiets appeared on the Telegram channel “Baza 111.” It was accompanied by the following caption:

“Viktoriia Kolomiiets — foreign agent/grant-eater, propagandist, justification of TCC crimes, financing and assisting the TCC. She published material defending TCC war criminals. Working for ‘Hromadske,’ which in 2014 supported citizens’ right to resist the punitive Berkut forces, in 2026 she condemned citizens for exercising their right to resist the punitive authorities of the TCC. She completely ignored cases of mass torture and killings of civilians by the TCC of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

The post also included screenshots from the journalist’s author page on the hromadske website, along with her photograph.

The same post was also duplicated on the “Baza 111” account on X. The comments under it included the following statements:

• “casual chill man-eater woman”
• “Stupid khokhol-whore”
• “Another disgusting monkey with a negative IQ… We assume we’ll soon need to order extra gigabytes of storage where this registry is kept”
• “Why do all their faces look so ugly? Every single one of them looks mentally disabled.”

This case demonstrates clear signs of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), particularly a combination of gendered disinformation, online defamation, hate speech, and a reputational attack. In the post, journalist Viktoriia Kolomiiets is labeled a “foreign agent,” “grant-eater,” and “propagandist,” and is baselessly accused of “justifying TCC crimes” and “financing the TCC.” Such claims are manipulative in nature and aimed at discrediting the journalist’s professional work while constructing an image of her as allegedly “hostile” or “controlled by external forces.” The use of screenshots from her author page and her photograph reinforces the personalized nature of the attack and facilitates targeted online harassment.

A distinct gendered component of the violence is also visible in the comments under the post. Misogynistic and sexualized slurs, as well as dehumanizing remarks about the journalist’s appearance and intellect, are directed at her. This rhetoric is aimed not at criticizing the journalistic material itself, but at humiliating a woman journalist because of her gender, appearance, and personal characteristics. Additionally, the comment about needing to “order extra gigabytes of storage where this registry is kept” may indicate elements of intimidation and hints at maintaining lists or surveillance of journalists. Altogether, this creates an atmosphere of hostility and pressure characteristic of coordinated TFGBV attacks against women media professionals.

These are not the first online attacks against women journalists documented on the Telegram channel and X account “Baza 111.” Previously, Women in Media also published material dedicated to this Telegram channel. The NGO Women in Media submitted a statement to the Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine requesting urgent action in response to the systematic activities of the anonymous channel “Baza 111.” The statement refers to the dissemination of journalists’ personal data, accusations containing signs of defamation, gender-based online violence, disinformation, and doxxing.