The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine initiated a press tour to Ukraine for a group of journalists from leading media outlets in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. The visit took place within the framework of the systematic implementation of the communication strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine “Ukraine – Latin American and Caribbean States”, which provides for regular visits of journalists from the Global South to Ukraine. The journalists worked in Ukraine to convey to Latin American audiences the realities of Russian aggression, the resilience of Ukrainians, and their daily struggle for life and freedom.
During the visit, the group met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa. The meeting discussed the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, the role of Latin American countries in their return to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable, as well as the need to counter Russian propaganda and strengthen Ukraine’s diplomatic presence in the region.
In Kyiv, the delegation witnessed a massive Russian attack on the city, visited the sites of the strikes, spoke with residents and volunteers, and visited Bucha and Irpin, where they saw firsthand the consequences of Russian crimes. The journalists met with human rights activists and experts who document war crimes and counter foreign information manipulation.
During a visit to the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, which took place shortly after the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holodomors, the journalists understood the scale of the crimes of the Soviet regime against Ukrainians in the 1930s, as well as their connection to Russia's current aggression against Ukraine. In Kyiv, the delegation met with the team of the Ukrainian Institute and leaders of the creative industries, and at the Khanenko Museum they learned about the work of cultural institutions during the war.
The trip to Mykolaiv provided an opportunity to see a frontline city that lives under the threat of constant shelling, but continues to work and recover. The journalists spoke with Yuriy Granaturov, Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, representatives of civil society and residents of the city.
In Lviv, the journalists spoke with First Deputy Mayor Andrii Moskalenko, active youth and civil society, and at the All-Ukrainian Center for War Trauma Superhumans they got acquainted with innovative approaches to prosthetics and rehabilitation of wounded Ukrainian defenders.
The visit was initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and organized in cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Ukraine and the Center for Strategic Interaction and Countering Disinformation of the Republic of Moldova. The visit was supported by the International Renaissance Foundation, the Ukrainian Institute, and the European Commission as part of the project “EU-Ukraine Strategic Communications Capacity Building Initiative”.