Yuliia Zabielina - attack 04.07.2026

On 4 July 2026, the X account @breakingUAnews published a clip from a broadcast featuring political commentator Yuliia Zabielina, accompanied by the caption: “🗣 Trump told Zelenskyy that Putin greatly irritates him,” says political commentator Yuliia Zabielina. The full interview had been published a day earlier, on 3 July, on Radio NV’s YouTube channel. During the broadcast, host Bohdan Mashai and Yuliia Zabielina discussed the visit of Ukrainian representatives to Belarus, the objectives of Ukraine’s 40-day influence campaign against Russia, as well as the meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi and their respective approval ratings.

Comments posted under the X post contain signs of sexism, hate speech, and gendered disinformation targeting Yuliia Zabielina. For example, commenters refer to her as a “political prostitute” and “Vanga Zaiebina” (a derogatory distortion of her surname), while others sarcastically claim that she “was holding the candle” or “was sitting under the table eavesdropping,” implying that she fabricated or could not possibly know the information she discussed.

In addition, comments under the original YouTube video also target the journalist’s appearance, with one user claiming that she “looks like she just came from the beach.”

Similar comments appear under other X posts featuring excerpts from broadcasts with Yuliia Zabielina. For example, under a post published by the same @breakingUAnews account on 13 June 2026, she is called a “tanned slut,” while under another post from 13 April 2026, commenters refer to her as a “journalist whore,” “Zaiebielina” (another derogatory distortion of her surname), “idiot,” and other insulting names.

This case demonstrates clear signs of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), including misogynistic hate speech, sexist abuse, online defamation, and gendered disinformation. Rather than engaging with Yuliia Zabielina’s political analysis, many of the comments seek to discredit her through gendered insults, sexualized labels, and degrading insinuations about her professional competence.

The repeated use of similar rhetoric across multiple posts featuring the journalist suggests a pattern of sustained online harassment, while comments targeting her appearance and using derogatory nicknames shift attention away from her professional work and toward her personal characteristics. Taken together, these attacks may damage the journalist’s professional reputation, increase psychological pressure, and have a chilling effect on her participation in public debate and professional activities.