The Russian Union of Journalists was officially expelled from the International Federation of Journalists during the federation’s 32nd Congress in Paris after delegates approved a recommendation from the IFJ Appeals Commission.
The decision ends a years-long process that began shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Ukrainian journalists and media unions started campaigning for the suspension and eventual removal of the Russian organization.
Head of Ukrainian Union of Journalists, Serhiy Tomilenko, said the Russian union lost its membership after failing its appeal amid accusations of cooperating with the Russian state and operating on occupied Ukrainian territories.
The congress, held from May 4 to 7 and dedicated to the federation’s 100th anniversary, approved the expulsion after the Russian side failed to submit a formal appeal or attend the meeting to defend its position.
“Russia’s Union of Journalists is no longer a member of the IFJ,” said Jim Boumelha, describing the move as procedural but significant.
According to Ukrainian media unions, one of the key reasons behind the campaign was the creation of Russian journalists’ union branches in occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, a move Kyiv described as a violation of international law and interference in the work of legitimate Ukrainian media organizations.
As Tomilenko pointed out, he had previously stated: “While we are rescuing journalists who are forced to flee from the occupied territories and frontline areas, the Union of Journalists of Russia is, in fact, a tool of war and occupation.”
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine said that the congress’s decision stems from the federation’s core principles.
“Solidarity is possible only with those who respect human life, professional ethics, and freedom of speech,” the union stated. “What is called journalism in Russia is an industry of hate that serves the war.”
Delegates from the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine attended the congress wearing shirts reading “Stop Russia. Save journalists,” with representatives from Kyiv, Mariupol, Sloviansk, and Odesa.
Ulrika Hyllert called the decision essential for preserving the federation’s standards, saying the IFJ “cannot include organizations that are so closely linked to the state.”
The expulsion comes as Ukrainian journalists continue reporting under wartime conditions, with dozens killed, injured, detained, or forced to flee occupied territories since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale (2022) and original (2014) invasion.