UNS: In the first half of the year, nearly 100 cases of threats against journalists – an increase in threats and cyber attacks.

This is further confirmed by the data showing that in the entire year of 2024, the UNS recorded 111 cases of threats against journalists.

In the first half of 2026, the UNS recorded twice as many threats against journalists in its database compared to the same period in 2025, with 34 threats compared to last year's 17.

As in previous years, online threats were predominant, with 30 out of the 34 reported threats being comments on articles published on websites or comments and messages on social media.

Cyber attacks were also frequent, particularly at the beginning of the year. The UNS recorded 10 cyber attacks in the first six months of 2026, while no such cases were reported in the same period last year.

The UNS categorized coordinated bot attacks on Instagram accounts, which manifest as a sudden and massive increase in the number of followers aimed at prompting the Meta platform to automatically limit or shut down the profiles of media outlets or journalists, as well as hacking attacks, including DDoS attacks on websites.

The number of cases of discrimination against journalists has also increased, with eight cases reported compared to last year's five in the first half of the year.

The number of physical attacks this year is slightly lower compared to last year, with 17 attacks recorded in the first six months of this year compared to 20 in the same period last year. However, this data does not indicate a halt to the negative trend, especially considering that only three physical attacks were recorded in the first half of 2024.

In 2026, there were two fewer instances of pressure and two fewer insults compared to last year, totaling four instances of pressure and six insults.

The number of attacks on property has also decreased. While one such case was recorded in the first half of this year, three were reported in the same period last year.

Journalists were detained twice in the first six months of this year, while this occurred five times in 2025.

Regarding interference with work, the UNS recorded 16 cases in the first half of the year, the same number as in the same period last year.

There were no attempts of wiretapping or doxing in the first half of this year. However, last year, there was one case each of an attempted wiretap of a journalist and doxing, which involved the public sharing of personal data of an RTS journalist.

The previous year was marked by the dismissal of journalists due to their support for student protests or opposition to editorial policies. The UNS recorded 17 such cases and one attempt at censorship, while no such cases have been reported this year.

Source: UNS