Контент: Onlile

Stories of Heroism and Discrimination of LGBTIQ+ in the Military Context

Context

During the full-scale war, Ukrainian media have increasingly highlighted the heroism and sacrifice of military personnel. At the same time, the experiences of certain groups — including LGBTIQ+ people serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine — remain underrepresented or are often framed through stereotypes.

For LGBTIQ+ service members, military service frequently means a double struggle: against an external enemy and against discrimination, prejudice, and misunderstanding within society and, at times, within the military environment itself. This gap between contribution and recognition became the starting point of the article.

What has been done

The editorial team of Nashe Misto became interested in the topic of LGBT+ military personnel while participating in a gender-sensitive journalism mentoring program organized by the Volyn Press Club. During the training, the team analyzed audience reactions to various topics and noticed a troubling pattern: whenever LGBT+ military personnel were mentioned, social media comments were predominantly negative.

“This was a signal for us — the topic is painful, which means there are stereotypes and prejudices that need to be addressed. We realized that our audience did not see real people behind the abbreviation ‘LGBT+.’ We wanted to convey a simple idea: heroism has no orientation. A person who defends your city, your home, your family deserves respect regardless of whom they love. The longread was meant to become a bridge between ‘them’ and ‘us,’ showing that these are not an abstract minority somewhere far away, but people who fight, suffer, and die for Ukraine just like everyone else,” the editorial team explained.

The regional media outlet then published the longread “LGBT+ Military Personnel: A Double Struggle” as a featured topic of the day.

The article:

  • shows that despite their heroism, professionalism, and commitment to Ukraine, LGBT+ service members continue to face stereotypes, hate speech, and discrimination;
  • focuses on their real-life and service-related challenges;
  • emphasizes the importance of equal rights, safety, and state support for all military personnel, regardless of gender, background, or sexual orientation.

How it was implemented

Journalists used the longread format to combine:

  • personal stories and testimonies of military personnel;
  • social and psychological context;
  • legal aspects related to equality and human rights protection.

This comprehensive approach made it possible to present not an abstract “group,” but specific individuals with military experience, responsibilities, and a tangible contribution to the country’s defense.

The publication increased local audience awareness of the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ military personnel and of their right to equal treatment. It also sparked public discussion about inclusion and equality within the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in society more broadly.

“National media often cover LGBT+ issues in a more general context or through high-profile events. Local media have a unique opportunity to make the topic personal and understandable for a specific community. Local journalism has the power to change attitudes from within — through stories that affect people directly,” the newsroom added.

The longread contributes to building a culture of solidarity and support in which heroism is not conditional and does not depend on identity.

What other media can learn

  • Cover LGBTIQ+ military personnel at the local level without stigmatization, recognizing their service and contribution.
  • Portray people first through their actions, responsibilities, and experience rather than primarily through their membership in a “vulnerable group.”
  • Use long-form journalism to address the social, legal, and cultural dimensions of inclusion in a comprehensive way.

Reframing Older Age Through Local Stories of Active Living

Context

In Ukrainian media, older people are often portrayed primarily through the lens of vulnerability, need, or social problems. This narrows public perceptions of ageing and leaves little room for stories of activity, self-realization, and engagement with the community.

For local media, the topic of older age is particularly important because the quality of older people’s daily lives is shaped largely at the city level through access to cultural, educational, and social initiatives.

What has been done

The regional media outlet Nashe Misto produced the longread “The Art of Living with Interest: How Dnipro Creates a Comfortable Environment for Older People,” featuring stories of older residents of Dnipro who continue to live actively, develop new skills, and contribute to their community.

The article:

  • presents examples of self-realization in later life, including discovering new talents, participating in community groups, and helping others;
  • demonstrates how the city and local initiatives are creating a more comfortable and inclusive environment for older residents;
  • shifts the focus from the “problem” of age to the potential of later life and the value of experience.

How it was implemented

Journalists used a longread format built around a series of interviews with active older residents of Dnipro. This approach made it possible to portray ageing through vivid, motivating stories rooted in a local context while avoiding generalizations and stereotypes. The publication increased audience awareness of both the needs and the opportunities of older people and drew attention to positive local practices that support their inclusion in community life.

The article also encouraged readers to become more active in community life and to support intergenerational solidarity, demonstrating how journalism can foster a more inclusive understanding of older age.

What other media can learn

  • Tell stories about older people through the lens of activity, agency, and self-realization rather than only through problems or limitations.
  • Avoid infantilizing older people or framing them primarily through pity or loneliness.
  • Treat age with the same care as gender or disability; age is part of identity, not a synonym for vulnerability.
  • Ask not only “What is difficult for you?” but also “What interests you?” and “What would you like to do next?”
  • Avoid generalizations such as “all pensioners”; older age is diverse and people have very different experiences, health conditions, resources, and opportunities.
  • Highlight the role of local initiatives and communities that directly influence older people’s quality of life.
  • Involve older people as experts on their own lives and communities, not only as subjects of social stories.
  • Use long-form journalism to challenge age stereotypes and promote intergenerational solidarity.

Visibility of Women’s Heroism During Wartime Through Local Stories

Context

Russia’s full-scale invasion hit Ukraine’s border regions particularly hard, including Chernihiv Oblast, which endured siege, heavy shelling, and a humanitarian crisis. In these conditions, women often assumed critically important roles — saving lives, supporting communities, caring for children and vulnerable people, and making decisions in situations of extreme danger.

At the same time, local women’s wartime stories risk remaining invisible beyond the region or being reduced to generalized images of “victims.” The Strong Woman project was an attempt to document the real female experience of war through concrete, lived stories.

What has been done

In 2024–2025, the regional media outlet Vist implemented the Strong Woman project, which consisted of 50 journalistic stories about Ukrainian women in the context of the full-scale invasion.

The project focused on women’s heroism, motherhood, professional responsibility, and survival during the war and received significant public attention.

Among the most notable stories were:

  • “Childbirth in a Bomb Shelter: Midwife Vira Tselik and Her 42 Days Under Siege in Chernihiv” — a story about babies being born by generator light under shelling.
  • “A Suitcase, Two Bags, and a Basin: Modular Towns Are Filling Up with Residents of Semenivka” — testimonies of women forced to leave their homes to save their children.

How it was implemented

Journalists worked with firsthand testimonies and personal stories to convey the complexity, tension, and resilience of women’s wartime experiences.

The storytelling approach:

  • portrayed women as active participants rather than passive victims;
  • emphasized resilience, responsibility, and decision-making in critical circumstances;
  • combined emotional depth with the documentation of local wartime history.

Impact

The project gained national visibility: the stories were widely republished, shared on social media, and discussed publicly. They drew attention to women’s role in the war and their contribution to the survival and support of communities in a frontline border region.

The project also demonstrated how a local newsroom can influence the broader national narrative about war.

Olha Makukha, editor-in-chief of Vist, notes that local media document women’s wartime experiences — occupation, loss, injury, childbirth in bomb shelters, motherhood under shelling, volunteering, and everyday survival — as a living and concrete part of Chernihiv Oblast’s history. According to her, the recognizability of names, streets, and places helps women realize the value of their own experience and its importance for history. This contributes to the formation of a collective regional memory in which women’s voices are heard alongside men’s.

“In this way, local media contribute to gender equality by recognizing women’s wartime experience as an important part of the shared social experience. At the same time, media help people speak about trauma, feel support and solidarity, and strengthen community cohesion,” she adds.

What other media can learn

  • Work systematically with women’s stories in the context of war, social crises, and emergencies.
  • Use personal experience as a tool for empathy, mutual support, and social solidarity.
  • Document the local history of war and preserve women’s voices as an essential part of collective memory.

Revealing Women’s Histories in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

Context

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has traditionally been perceived as a masculine space — a center of monastic, spiritual, and ecclesiastical history where women’s experiences were rarely recorded or remained outside the official historical narrative.

In contemporary public discourse, the Lavra is often associated with political scandals, imperial legacies, and anti-Ukrainian narratives, which further simplifies and distorts its historical and cultural complexity. In this context, women’s stories — both spiritual and secular — become doubly marginalized.

What was done

The Ukrainian Week published an analytical article by journalist, literary scholar, and historian Olha Petrenko-Tseunova dedicated to women’s experiences within the space of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

The article:

  • explores women’s histories in both the spiritual and secular dimensions of the Lavra, from the patronage of the Virgin Mary to the activities of saints, benefactresses, and pilgrims;
  • demonstrates that the supposedly “male” space of the Lavra historically included women’s narratives that were later displaced or silenced;
  • analyzes how contemporary anti-Ukrainian symbols and external ideological influences, including narratives associated with Russian propaganda, distort the historical memory of the shrine.

How it was implemented

The article combines historical, cultural, and gender perspectives. The author works with archival sources, literary scholarship, and contemporary observations, focusing on individual women’s stories and their significance for Ukrainian cultural heritage.

This integrated approach reveals the connection between spiritual space, cultural memory, and gender analysis without reducing the subject either to an academic exercise or to a politicized debate.

“When we speak about history, we often reproduce only dominant narratives. This article is an attempt to return women to the space of historical memory, where they were always present but rarely heard. Media have a responsibility not only to react to scandals surrounding symbols, but also to restore complexity and plurality to historical subjects, even when that requires slower, research-based work,” says Margarita Dykaliuk, editor-in-chief of The Ukrainian Week.

Impact

The article drew attention to marginalized women’s narratives in both the historical and contemporary history of the Lavra and contributed to a broader discussion about restoring the Ukrainian historical and cultural context of this important religious site.

It helps shift the focus from dominant political and imperial interpretations toward local, human-centered, and gendered histories, expanding public understanding of women’s role in shaping cultural memory.

What other media can learn

  • Highlight marginalized histories by giving voice to women and other “invisible” groups in traditionally masculine or hierarchical spaces.
  • Present individuals as subjects of history rather than merely as symbols within political or ideological narratives.
  • Combine journalism with a research-based approach, working with archives and historical sources to provide deeper and more responsible context.

Reframing Women’s Roles in the Military Through Opinion Journalism

Context

Despite the significant presence of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, questions about their role, visibility, and public perception remain contested. According to data from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published in March 2025, more than 70,000 women were serving in the Ukrainian military, including about 5,500 in combat zones.

At the same time, women service members are often expected to constantly prove their motivation and effectiveness, whereas men are frequently perceived as “full-fledged warriors by default.” This imbalance is rarely visible in daily news coverage but becomes the subject of sharper debate in opinion journalism.

What was done

The Ukrainian Week published two opinion columns by writer, veteran, and contributing author Iryna Bobyk: “Women in the Army” and “The Image of the Warrior.” The texts function as complementary essays that explore women’s military experience from two perspectives:

  • personal — through the author’s own experience as a veteran;
  • societal — through an analysis of collective perceptions, expectations, and stereotypes.

The columns address gender bias toward women service members in the context of the full-scale war and highlight the diversity of women’s roles in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from logistics and medicine to combat missions and reconnaissance drone operations.

How it was implemented

  • The editorial team chose the format of an authorial column, combining lived experience with analytical reflection.
  • The texts use the author’s direct voice to document common stereotypes, suspicions, and accusations directed at women in the military.
  • The columns were published as part of The Ukrainian Week’s broader conversation about war, identity, and the transformation of social roles.

Impact

The publications generated significant reader engagement and active debate. Some audience members, including women readers, criticized the texts as “ideologically biased,” demonstrating both the sensitivity of the topic and the uneven readiness of society to confront it.

At the same time, the columns brought renewed attention to the need to reconsider entrenched perceptions of women soldiers and opened a public discussion about women’s mobilization, wartime experience, and women’s right to agency within the military sphere.

What other media can learn

  • Give space to authorial voices with lived wartime experience, even when they challenge comfortable narratives.
  • Do not avoid difficult or divisive topics simply because they may provoke criticism.
  • Use opinion journalism as a tool for rethinking social roles, norms, and gender stereotypes, complementing news coverage with deeper reflection.

Women’s visibility in urban space

Context

Municipal awards and symbolic recognition shape public perceptions of who is considered important to a city’s history and identity. Yet the gender dimension of such decisions often remains outside public attention. In Dnipro, the title Honorary Citizen of the City has historically been awarded predominantly to men, reflecting not only past practices but also contemporary mechanisms of visibility and recognition.

What was done

The newsroom Misto i Richka prepared an analytical article that:

  • showed that only four women are among Dnipro’s honorary citizens;
  • raised the issue of gender inequality in public recognition and women’s visibility;
  • publicly asked the city and its residents: Why does women’s contribution so rarely receive official recognition?

How it was implemented

  • The editorial team analyzed the lists of honorary citizens and conducted a statistical comparison of the number of men and women.
  • The material was presented as a public inquiry and investigative-style analytical text intended to encourage discussion.
  • The article was adapted for social media in order to reach audiences beyond the website’s regular readership.

Impact

The publication drew attention to a topic that had previously been largely absent from the regional media agenda: gender inequality in symbolic municipal recognition. It stimulated public discussion about women’s role in the life of Dnipro and about the mechanisms through which urban memory is constructed.

Natalia Kulidi, editor-in-chief of Misto i Richka, emphasizes that the role of a local media outlet is to identify stories of gender injustice and bring them into the public sphere, initiating discussion as a first step toward restoring women’s voices. According to her, the newsroom deliberately sought to present women’s stories through a contemporary lens, which is why it chose a comic-style illustration format — “as if we were inscribing our heroines into the contemporary context of the city.”

“We are a newsroom that is 90% women, so naturally we want to support ‘our own’ wherever we can,” she adds.

What other media can learn

  • Raise gender and social issues even when they are not considered an obvious part of the local news agenda.
  • Use data and concrete examples to support public-interest criticism.
  • Treat urban symbolism as a subject of journalistic analysis, not only as a source of news.

Visibility of Women in Spiritual Ministry During Wartime

Context

Russia’s full-scale invasion has made chaplaincy an essential part of support for military personnel. At the same time, women’s role in spiritual ministry remains largely invisible and is often devalued both within the military environment and in religious communities. Gender bias, distrust toward women as spiritual leaders, and the lack of official recognition create additional barriers for those who work directly with trauma, loss, and crises of faith on the front line.

Suspilne chose a documentary format to raise a difficult question without simplification or moralizing: Can and should a woman be a military chaplain, and what does the reality of war reveal about that question?

What has been done

Suspilne produced the documentary anthology “Chaplain Women: Prayer in Hell”, dedicated to the experiences of women chaplains during the full-scale war. The film follows three women who provide spiritual support to soldiers, work with profound trauma, loss, and doubt, and simultaneously face distrust and prejudice regarding their role.

The documentary portrays chaplaincy without heroization or romanticization — through fatigue, fear, faith, and crises of faith. The protagonists’ stories become the basis for a broader conversation about women’s place in military and religious institutions and about how war reshapes ideas of spiritual leadership.

How it was implemented

  • The film was produced as an anthology, allowing different experiences and contexts of chaplaincy to be presented.
  • The narrative is built around the protagonists’ lived experiences, without imposed judgments, preaching, or simplistic conclusions.
  • After the premiere, the project was accompanied by public discussions that expanded the conversation from the screen into the public sphere.

Impact

“Chaplain Women: Prayer in Hell” became one of Suspilne’s most resonant documentary projects. After the premiere, the team received hundreds of responses from viewers who said that the film “helped them feel the meaning of faith again” and revealed a previously invisible part of women’s work that is often ignored or undervalued.

The project sparked public debate about women’s role in the military system and the need for official recognition of women chaplains within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this way, the film moved beyond being a cultural product and became a tool for social dialogue.

The documentary received the International Women and the World Film Festival (IFFWW) Award for Best Feature-Length Television Film and won the Ivan Franko Prize in the category Best Work in Television.

What other newsrooms can learn

  • Make women visible in traditionally “male” roles by focusing on their professional function and lived experience rather than presenting them as exceptional or unusual.
  • Cover sensitive topics without heroization or moralizing, allowing audiences to draw their own conclusions from real stories and context.
  • Use documentary storytelling as a tool for public dialogue, especially on issues that require institutional change.
  • Extend on-screen stories through public discussions involving experts, institutions, and audiences.
  • Plan for impact during production by creating opportunities for screenings, discussions, educational use, and advocacy after release.

Returning Women to Urban History Through a Special Project and Artistic Practices

Context

Urban history is usually recorded through male names, while women’s contributions often remain marginalized or disappear from collective memory altogether. In the case of Dnipro, this means losing a significant part of the city’s own history, from the era of Katerynoslav to the present day.

What was done

For International Women’s Day, the editorial team launched the special project “Women of the City on the River”, dedicated to outstanding women of Dnipro. The project:

  • combined long-form articles with active repackaging for social media;
  • featured original illustrations by Dnipro-based artist Stasia Velikodna, created in a comic-book style;
  • highlighted the issue of gender visibility, noting that throughout the city’s history only eight women have received the title of honorary citizen.

How it was implemented

  • Journalists worked together with historians to recover the names and biographies of prominent women from Dnipro.
  • The visual component became a separate storytelling tool: the illustrations “brought the heroines to life” and made the project visually distinctive.
  • The project combined historical context, contemporary art, and a social message, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Impact

For the first time, historical women figures of Dnipro were brought back into the public information space through a vivid visual language. Active distribution of the materials on social media increased their visibility and audience engagement. The project became an example of how local journalism can help restore historical justice and create a more inclusive image of the city.

What other media can learn

  • Highlight marginalized women’s histories within urban and cultural contexts.
  • Combine journalism with art and visual storytelling.
  • Use social media and interactive formats to engage new audiences and amplify the impact of journalistic projects.

Conversation about Gender Stereotypes with Men as the Target Audience

Context

In public discourse, gender issues are usually addressed to women, while the impact of gender stereotypes on men often remains underestimated or taboo. This makes it harder to discuss men’s mental health, emotions, bodily experiences, and vulnerability, and it narrows opportunities for rethinking models of masculinity.

What was done

The Gre4ka editorial team created a series of analytical articles on the impact of gender stereotypes on society, with a specific focus on male audiences.

The articles:

  • analyzed how stereotypes harm men’s psychological, physical, and social well-being;
  • addressed health, sexuality, emotional vulnerability, and social pressure;
  • presented positive examples of overcoming stereotypes rather than focusing only on problems.

How it was implemented

  • The articles were published on the website throughout 2023–2024.
  • They were later narrated and adapted into an audio format, which helped broaden the audience.
  • Based on the series, the newsroom launched a dedicated podcast titled “You’re a Man”, making the topic more accessible and less confrontational.

The editorial team explains that, while preparing the series, they deliberately chose an unconventional approach to topics and headlines. Although analyses of gender stereotypes often focus on women’s experiences, the newsroom intentionally shifted attention toward men, both in headlines and examples. According to the editors, many gender stereotypes are two-sided and affect different groups, and this perspective helped engage a broader audience in the discussion.

Readers’ feedback was especially valuable: both men and women reported using the articles as arguments in conversations about gender issues. Some publications also had a deeper personal impact. For example, after reading an article about stereotypes in marital relationships, some women recognized their own experiences and realized for the first time that what they had experienced was a form of violence and should not be considered normal.

“At Gre4ka, if we write about a problem, we try to use the principles of solutions journalism. But how do you do that when writing about gender stereotypes? The answer came partly from Tamara Martseniuk, who served as an expert for part of the series. The point is not only to describe the problem but also to show people who are already breaking these stereotypes. In my view, everyday examples of such change are more influential than pages of lofty analytical theory,” says Iryna Trebunskykh, a journalist at the outlet.

Impact

Two articles from the series became finalists in the Ukrainian journalism competition “Honor of the Profession” in 2024. The project contributed to expanding public discussion about the harmful effects of gender stereotypes on men and the need to rethink them.

The audio format also helped attract a new audience, including men who are less likely to engage with analytical texts on gender issues.

What other media can learn

  • Talk about gender equality by addressing men as a target audience, not only women.
  • Combine analytical content with audio formats to lower the barrier to engaging with complex topics.
  • Show not only problems but also examples of change that can be supportive and motivating.

Ethical Reporting on Postpartum Depression and “Window of Life” Cases

Context

Postpartum depression remains a highly stigmatized topic, while public stories about maternal crises are often presented through condemnation, sensationalism, or simplified moral judgments. Such approaches only increase women’s fear of seeking help.

What was done

The Gre4ka editorial team published a story about a woman from Kropyvnytskyi who, while experiencing postpartum depression, left her newborn at a “Window of Life” facility.

The article:

  • addressed the socially sensitive issue of women’s mental health;
  • focused on the woman’s emotional state, fears, and experiences;
  • deliberately avoided condemnation or formal moral judgments of her actions.

How it was implemented

The story was told through the woman’s personal experience, emphasizing postpartum depression as a medical and psychological condition.

The editorial team chose a non-judgmental, empathetic tone, highlighting that seeking help in a crisis situation is a necessary and responsible step.

“This was a challenge for the newsroom: how to write about the case so that the woman would not face public condemnation. We chose to tell the story through her feelings and experiences and to stress that asking for help is normal. Surprisingly, there was no negative reaction at all. Later, the woman contacted the newsroom again and told us that, by court decision, the child had been returned to the family and that she continues treatment for depression under professional supervision,” said Iryna Trebunskykh, a journalist at the outlet.

Impact

The publication did not provoke negative reactions from the audience, which is significant given the sensitivity of the topic. The article contributed to a more thoughtful and empathetic public understanding of postpartum depression.

Later, the protagonist informed the newsroom that her child had been returned to the family by court order and that she remained under professional treatment for depression, indirectly demonstrating the value of a supportive rather than stigmatizing media approach.

What other media can learn

  • Report on socially sensitive topics with a focus on human experience rather than judgment, placing emotions, motivations, and life context at the center of the story.
  • Use empathetic, non-stigmatizing language when covering mental health, motherhood, and crisis situations, avoiding sensational headlines and moralizing wording.
  • Treat sources as partners rather than “subjects of a story”: explain how the material will be used, agree on sensitive details, and respect the right to pause or remain silent.
  • Clearly distinguish facts from public opinion and avoid replacing journalism with moral judgments or pseudo-expert conclusions.
  • Include information about available support services (hotlines, counseling, support centers) so that the article has practical value for readers in similar situations.
  • Work systematically with mental health topics, not only during crises, helping normalize conversations about them.
  • Monitor audience reactions and be prepared to explain editorial decisions if the topic raises questions or debate.