Journalist Kostyantyn Ryzhenko disappeared in Kherson, announced the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Sergiy Tomilenko.
"NUJU got in touch with a source close to Kostyantyn (we withhold the name out of security concerns). They confirmed to have lost connection with the journalist since yesterday. They were able to get in touch with the journalist's wife, Oleksandra, who said that the russian servicemen made a simultaneous appearance at the homes of Kostyantyn's relatives and arrested his brother," said Tomilenko.
Earlier, a programmed post appeared on Ryzhenko's Telegram channel. It said that the appearance of the message means that "something probably happened" to the journalist. It could be either technical problems or the journalist's arrest by the russian military. Before the appearance of the said post, Ryzhenko didn't publish anything for over 24 hours.
Kostyantyn Ryzhenko is an editor in chief of Kherson news platform Kherson Newscity. His Telegram channel has over 27 thousand subscribers. Besides, since the russian occupation of the city, the journalist was also volunteering. He appealed to support Kherson volunteers in a programmed post.
Donations info to support volunteers in Kherson:
Bank card in UAH: 5375411504205985
Paypal: [email protected]