Two Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists — Vladyslav Yesypenko, imprisoned by the Kremlin in Russian-occupied Crimea since 2021, and Ihar Karnei, arrested in 2023 by Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus — were released on 20 and 21 June. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expresses its profound relief and calls for the immediate release of their 94 fellow journalists still imprisoned by the two countries. RSF also calls for the liberation of the eight journalists working for RFE/RL and other outlets under the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) who remain behind bars in various corners of the world.
“RSF expresses its deep relief at the release of journalists Vladyslav Yesypenko and Ihar Karnei, who are now safe. Their only 'crime' was practicing journalism freely. Vladyslav was arbitrarily detained for over four years, Ihar for nearly two. Fifty other media professionals remain behind bars in Russia — including 28 Ukrainians — and 44 in Belarus. RSF demands their immediate release and the dropping of all charges. We also call for the release of the eight USAGM journalists still detained worldwide.
Prison and torture to silence reporters
“I am happy that I am a free man and a free journalist. I am very grateful to everyone who helped me and supported me when I was in prison,” said Vladyslav Yesypenko upon arriving in Prague on Sunday, 22 June, two days after his release.
The Ukrainian journalist worked for Krym.Realii, a project focused on Crimea under RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service, Radio Svoboda, which now faces closure. After completing his sentence imposed by the Russian justice system in occupied Crimea, Yesypenko was finally reunited with his family. During his detention, he was "tortured, physically and psychologically;" and that he paid “ too high of a price for reporting the truth about what was taking place inside Russia-occupied Crimea,” said RFE/RL President Stephen Capus in a statement.
Vladyslav Yesypenko was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on 10 March 2021 in Crimea, accused of “espionage.” He was tortured with electric shocks and forced to make a public confession on television. On 16 February 2022, he was sentenced to six years in prison and a 1,200 EUR fine for “illegal possession and transport of explosives.” The sentence was later reduced to five years. He served his time in Kerch prison in occupied Crimea.
RSF had consistently called for his release. At the time of his detention, he was one of 29 Ukrainian media professionals imprisoned by the Kremlin, making Russia the world's leading jailer of foreign journalists. Crimean reporters remain particularly targeted, with 17 still detained by Russia.
Ihar Karnei freed in Belarus
On 21 June, the day after Yesypenko’s release, another RFE/RL journalist, Ihar Karnei, arbitrarily imprisoned in Belarus, was also released. He was handed over to the US Embassy in Lithuania, along with about ten other political prisoners.
Karnei had been imprisoned since 17 July 2023, and sentenced to three years in prison for “extremism.” He was forced to make a televised confession on the state-run channel ONT on the eve of Belarus’s rigged presidential election in January 2025. The Lukashenko regime still holds at least 44 journalists.
Eight USAGM journalists still detained
Following the Trump administration’s March 2025 move to dismantle USAGM — the agency that distributes funding to outlets such as RFE/RL and Voice of America, RSF raised the alarm about the fate of eight journalists still imprisoned worldwide for their work.
