Vladyslava Fandikova - attack 02.08.2026

On 2 August 2026, Nastia Dziubak, editor of the Kropyvnytskyi-based media outlet Hrechka, published a screenshot on her Facebook page showing a sexist comment directed at her colleague, journalist Vladyslava Fandikova. According to the post, sports journalist Yurii Iliuchek left a comment under a Hrechka video referring to the presenter’s facial piercing.

“Why does the presenter have a ring in her nose? Is it for image purposes?” he wrote.

Later, Nastia Dziubak reported that Yurii Iliuchek had apologized for his inappropriate comment. She also told Women in Media that she regularly sees similar comments under videos published on the outlet’s social media pages.

“In fact, this happens regularly specifically under videos featuring Vlada. Usually these are various remarks about the piercing, such as ‘why is there snot hanging from her nose’ and similar comments, mostly from older women,” Dziubak said.

The screenshots provided by the media worker contained comments such as: “that thing in her nose shows she has no brains,” “remove that disgusting thing from under your nose,” and “who let her appear on screen with a ring in her nose?”

“I encounter this quite often. I first realized that my nose piercing could be a problem for some people when videos featuring me started being published. Before that, neither in real life nor under publications had anyone paid attention to it. In general, I react calmly. If the comments are especially funny or absurd, I may even forward them to friends and laugh about them,” Vladyslava Fandikova said in a conversation with Women in Media.

The journalist added that although such attacks have had little effect on her professional work, there were moments when offensive comments made her wonder whether she should remove the piercing, especially when commenters mentioned her family.

This case demonstrates signs of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), primarily in the forms of sexist remarks, misogynistic online harassment, and humiliation based on appearance. The comments under the videos do not concern the content of the journalist’s work, her professional skills, or the topics of the materials; instead, they focus on her appearance — specifically her facial piercing. The remarks are degrading in nature and aimed at devaluing the journalist because of her appearance and personal style.

An additional sign of TFGBV is the systematic nature of these comments, which creates a hostile online environment and may exert psychological pressure even in the absence of explicit threats.