Natalia Humeniuk: “Restrictions on the media are set by the military command. Security is above all”
17 April 2024 17:08
БЛІЦ
Yesterday, on 16 April, a number of journalists from leading Ukrainian media outlets issued a statement demanding that Natalia Gumenyuk be replaced as the head of the Joint Coordination Press Centre of the Southern Ukrainian Defence Forces. According to the journalists, Gumenyuk created conditions in the southern region that made it almost impossible to work, and in fact “prevented the coverage of Russian crimes” in the Kherson region. For example, among other things, she is accused of preventing journalists from covering the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in Kherson region. Because of this, the world did not see the full extent of the consequences of the Russian crime.
“The person who prevented the coverage of Russian crimes, who does not allow journalists to show the brave defenders of Kherson region, who is unable to explain to the command of her direction why the society should see not only her face, but also the faces of the soldiers and why the world should see Russian war crimes promptly, cannot continue to lead communications. She “scared” journalists away from the direction, which diverted public attention. This affects both the level of defence capability of the region and the assistance to the communities of the region from the international community,”
– the statement reads.
Natalia Gumenyuk commented on the situation exclusively to Komersant ukrainskyi 
in a blitz interview.
Were you surprised by these reports?
I was not surprised, because before that, journalist Anna Kalyuzhna had raised similar issues several times, including at the Verkhovna Rada Committee, as far as I know, she was not comfortable working in the conditions I created. The incompetence is immediately apparent, because it is not me who creates the conditions. They are determined by the commander, in accordance with Order 73 of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and relevant orders relating to the security of operations. Creating conditions during martial law is the responsibility of the military command, and only the military command can determine how the media can access the areas where hostilities are taking place.
did you see any real and reasonable arguments in this letter, any professional comments that you could agree with?
I agree that the letter does not contain a single fact or argument that would support the loud accusations that were formulated and put forward in the headlines. If there are no objections from the security of operations, it is already in the publication. I have not had any obstacles to the work of the media. If there are specific complaints, I am always ready to discuss them. If it was not possible to satisfy a journalist’s request, an alternative or a different deadline was offered, again based on the security of operations.
how difficult is the work in the area of communication and what are the most difficult moments in working with Ukrainian and foreign journalists?
The work is not easy, because our war is not easy, it is hybrid, it is special, the information front is very powerful, and the use of information can be actually akin to the use of weapons. There are many limitations because of this feature. But I would like to remind everyone that the martial law provides for very powerful restrictions, including freedom of publication, coverage, and freedom of speech during martial law.
Ukraine is a democratic state that found itself in this war against its will, and it is trying to comply with as many international standards as possible, including openness. But this cannot compromise security. Security is above all.
That is why we have decided on the level of restrictions that is possible in terms of media access and work. This is the right of the military command, and it has exercised it. These norms and restrictions do not contradict the guidance of the high command and are in line with the security component. They are the same for everyone, regardless of the scale of the media. They are the same for both Ukrainian and foreign journalists. Therefore, I can assume that not everyone liked my principled approach either. I do not give in based on the scale of the media.
Natalia Humenyuk: biography
Nataliya Kostyantynivna Humenyuk — captain of the 1st rank of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, head of the joint press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine
She was born in Kazakhstan in the city of Almaty. He has a higher education.
In 2016, she graduated from the Odesa Regional Institute of State Administration of the NASU under the President of Ukraine. He has a master’s degree in public administration.
There is not much information about the private life of a military servicewoman in the public domain. It is only known that she is married and has a daughter named Olga.
Service in the Armed Forces
Since 2013, she worked as an assistant to the commander of the maritime guard unit of the State Border Service of Ukraine. Had the rank of captain of the 2nd rank. Then she became an assistant to the head of the regional department for interaction with mass media in Odesa.
In the spring of 2022, Natalia Humenyuk headed the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.
For me, the leadership of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine is the first such powerful experience and a great experiment. As well as the center itself. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, there was a need to organize information, in particular, about the conduct of hostilities, the advance of the enemy, the results of shelling, etc. Many things could not be said or shown. Ultimately, the concept of “Defense Forces” appeared, combining various structures, bodies, services and departments. All this required the coordination of the actions of both the structures themselves and the media, which were eager to cover the events. Then a group of heads of press services of various structures developed the idea of such a center,
Nataliya Humenyuk said in one of the interviews.
Nataliya Gumenyuk’s task is to spread important and true information without disclosing details about the war.
According to Humenyuk, the center works in a virtual format, and it includes representatives of the press services of the army units, the State Border Service, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Emergency Service, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Defense Service, regional military administrations — all related to the coverage of events related to martial law .
In the area of responsibility for information coverage in the following areas:
- Odesa;
- Khersonsk;
- Kirovohradsk;
- Mykolayivska;
- Crimea;
- southern part of Dnipropetrovsk region: Kryvorizky and Nikopol districts.
In addition to working as the head of the joint press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Gumenyuk also holds the position of assistant to the head of the Regional Directorate of the Maritime Guard of the State Security Service of Ukraine for interaction with mass media, to which she was appointed even before the full-scale invasion of Russia into the territory of Ukraine.
Natalia Humenyuk’s awards
On September 12, 2022, Natalya Gumenyuk was awarded the Order of Princess Olga III degree for loyalty to the military oath, personal courage and selfless actions shown in the defense of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
