In this exclusive conversation from wartime Ukraine, Dr. Wolfgang Ressmann, founder of Media Dialogue (Germany), speaks to Jabir Deralla of CIVIL – Center for Freedom about the courage, resilience, and determination of Ukrainian journalists who continue their mission under constant threat.
From Lutsk to Kyiv, Dr. Ressmann shares powerful stories of independent media like Volynska Gazeta—where students and veteran reporters work side by side to keep truth alive despite rockets, blackouts, and economic hardship. “They work, they write, they fight,” he says, summing up the spirit of those who refuse to be silenced.
The discussion also highlights the Media Dialogue network’s ongoing cooperation across Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, and Moldova, and calls for sustained international solidarity with Ukrainian media and civil society in their defense of freedom and democracy.
JABIR DERALLA / CIVIL: Hello, Wolfgang. How are you on your travels? Can you tell us a bit more about what you’re doing these days in Ukraine with the Media Dialogue partners?
DR WOLFGANG RESSMANN / MEDIA DIALOGUE: We restarted the Media Dialogue project after a short break in 2024, and now we’re continuing with a new group of participants. We have one Georgian journalist and lecturer with us, three Armenian journalists—one of them originally from Panakad—and, of course, Natallia Halavach, whom you know from our first conference in Skopje. She’s from Belarus, currently in exile.
So, we are an international group, meeting our Ukrainian colleagues again after quite some time. Among them is, for example, my friend Mykhailo Daniliuk. I gave him our book Defending Democracy. He has been in the army for several years, working in communications, and he’s also the owner and editor-in-chief of Volynska Gazeta—one of the few remaining independent media outlets in Ukraine, based in Lutsk. It’s a great example of the resilience and future of independent Ukrainian journalism.
We had a final conference at the university with many students, where we talked about press freedom, resistance, and the importance of standing up against Russian aggression—and the crucial role journalists play in this struggle.
DERALLA: Wolfgang, you’ve been speaking with journalists who are literally on the frontlines. You mentioned Volynska Gazeta—a media outlet working under very difficult conditions. What is it like to be a journalist there now, under bombs and drones, amid an invasion by an aggressor that shows no regard for civilians or journalists? What do your colleagues tell you?
RESSMANN: Lutsk, in the north, is relatively peaceful, but even there, Russian rockets have hit civilian buildings. We saw some of the damage ourselves. So yes, the war is everywhere—even in Lutsk—but everyday life somehow continues.
Volynska Gazeta faces serious economic difficulties. There’s no real advertising market anymore, but they find creative ways to survive. Students work alongside experienced journalists, and they try to secure support from different sources—sometimes even just to cover the cost of paper for printing. They work under extremely hard conditions, but they keep going because they know why their work matters.
One of the most powerful things we saw was how the entire civil society comes together when a soldier’s funeral takes place. Twice a day, or whenever a funeral is held, the whole city stops—traffic halts, people kneel, and for two minutes there is complete silence on the main street. It’s deeply emotional. Volynska Gazeta is part of this civil society, part of this resistance. They work, they write, they fight—with words and truth.
DERALLA: That’s very powerful, Wolfgang. I’ve seen the video you sent, and our viewers have seen it at the start of this interview—we’ll also show it again at the end. It’s a deeply moving scene repeated in towns across Ukraine, showing the resilience and determination of Ukrainian citizens in their pursuit of freedom.
What’s next for you, your Ukrainian partners, and the wider Media Dialogue network? What are your takeaways from your more than week-long visit to Ukraine—Kyiv, Lutsk—and what would you recommend to the international community and other media actors?
RESSMANN: The next step for us, after Kyiv, is to go to Chișinău, Moldova. For Ukraine, the most important thing is continued support—emotional, moral, and, of course, practical. Media and civil society need to feel that Europe stands behind them.
We know exactly why Ukraine is fighting this war. In Lutsk, during our final conference, we had around 100 young students with us—listening, discussing, and taking the situation very seriously. Today we also visited a rehabilitation center dealing with trauma—individual and collective. A society under bombs suffers not only physically but psychologically.
We discussed possibilities for cooperation through Erasmus projects, online lessons, and more sustained exchanges. In Kyiv, we met our long-time partners at the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko University, with whom we’ve had a cooperation agreement for ten years now. Meeting old friends and new students who are so eager to learn and engage shows how deeply the war has impacted society—and how committed people remain to education and truth.
Within Media Dialogue, we’re working in three groups: one focused on blogging, another on video production—with Kseniia as the media trainer—and all materials will soon be online, from short reels to longer reports.
The main goal is to strengthen our network, to show solidarity, and to demonstrate that we are not afraid to come to Ukraine even during war. We stand with our Ukrainian colleagues and help students gain experience in real media work, both online and offline.
DERALLA: It’s wonderful to hear so many familiar names and to see that there’s still energy, determination, and commitment to our shared goals—Ukraine’s freedom, and the freedom of the press across the region and beyond. It’s inspiring to see you and your colleagues working in war-torn, yet resilient Ukraine—defending democracy and free media, which are core pillars of any democratic society.
Before we close, could you share a few recommendations for what the international community should do in the coming period regarding media and Ukraine?
RESSMANN: Yes. First, we must continue reporting on developments in Ukrainian society and support Ukrainians as they rebuild and redefine their future. The young generation deserves our attention and feedback.
There isn’t just one path forward—there are many—but we can help set some cornerstones and support those who are building a resilient, democratic society.
The war in Ukraine must not move to the third or fourth page of our media. It must stay on the front page—on TV, in print, and online. We need a permanent process of solidarity, like what you’re doing—keeping Ukraine in focus, showing that Ukrainians are not alone.
Media has a duty to inform audiences about why we support Ukraine, because we, too, need support in our own countries—Germany, North Macedonia, and elsewhere. Without solidarity, we cannot help Ukraine effectively. This is a shared task for all democratic media: to keep Ukraine among our top priorities. Solidarity is essential.
DERALLA: Thank you so much, Wolfgang, for being with us today. Please take care, and I wish you much success in your ongoing work. Send my best regards to our friends in Ukraine and across the region.
RESSMANN: Thank you very much, Jabir. Let’s hope for peaceful skies. Last night there was only one air-raid alarm—let’s see what the next hours bring. After all, this is still a war zone.
DERALLA: Stay safe, and thank you again.
RESSMANN: Thank you. Goodbye.
🎥 Recorded on November 5, 2025
🎙️ Interview by Jabir Deralla
🎬 Video editing: Arian Mehmeti
📸 Photo: courtesy of Media Dialogue
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