Ukraine: CFWIJ Welcomes The Reinstatement Of Media Accreditation In Ukraine For Danish Journalist Matilde Kimer

Location:  Ukraine
Date: January 5, 2023

Photo Credit: Asger Ladefoged

Danish journalist Matilde Kimer’s media accreditation has been restored by the Ukrainian government. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is pleased that the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has retracted their initial decision to prohibit the journalist from entering Ukraine and reporting in the country. 

Matilde Kimer is a journalist for the Danish public television and radio company DR. Kimer is DR's correspondent in Russia and Ukraine. After a long struggle, Kimer got her press accreditation for war zones and military facilities reinstated after it was canceled last summer on August 22, 2022, by order of the Security Service of Ukraine. 

Artem Dekhtiarenko, the head of the Department for Interaction with the Media and the Public of the Office of the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said that the SSU had not prohibited Kimer from entering Ukraine, but any journalist “can be denied accreditation without explaining the reasons.”

In a letter received by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) from the SSU on January 5, it was emphasized that only representatives of mass media who have received the appropriate accreditation may be admitted to the areas of hostilities and military facilities. 

Kimer was under the impression that the denial of the accreditation might be related to a business trip to the Mykolaiv region in July. The interpreter traveling with the journalist arranged an interview with a farmer whose field had burned down due to shelling. However, at the checkpoint Kimer and the interpreter were told that they would not be able to pass, as the village is located in close proximity to the front line, and it was obligatory to be accompanied by a press officer. Subsequently,  Kimer traveled to Odesa, where she met with the Joint Command “South” spokesperson Natalia Gumenyuk. The Armed Forces representative said that the journalist could continue working. 

Kimer has been working as a correspondent in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia since 2006, and as a journalist for Danish Radio since 2009. DR decided to open a main bureau in Kyiv, as did other international publications such as the Washington Post and The New York Times. Kimer has since been working as a reporter in Ukraine and covering the war from the frontline.

On August 1, 2022, following the trip to Mykolaiv, Kimer went to Moscow. The journalist was deported Immediately upon arrival  “for security and defense reasons”. Kimer was also banned from entering Russia for 10 years. Shortly after,  she was also banned from working as a reporter in Ukraine. 

On August 22, Kimer received a letter from the Public Relations Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stating that her accreditation had been revoked without explanation. 

According to Ivan Kravtsov, the interpreter who accompanied the journalist in Mykolaiv, after the incident at the checkpoint, the press service of the Mykolaiv region said that Kilmer had problems because she had worked in Moscow for many years.

Kimer had worked in Crimea during the annexation and went there on the anniversary of the annexation through Russia, but this was before Ukraine passed a law banning entry to Crimea through Russia. According to Kimer she understood that, in their opinion, this meant that she was collaborating with the invaders.

In November 2022, Kiner was awarded the Ebbe Munck Award for journalism from the Queen of Denmark, which is the highest honor in the country.

On December 9, after appealing the revocation of her media accreditation, Kimer had a meeting at the SSU. In addition to Kimer, there were two other employees of the Danish Embassy. During the meeting, Kimer was told the SSU believed her deportation from Russia was a “cover” for her activities, implying that she was allegedly promoting “Russian narratives". At the end of the meeting, Kimer asked how their trust could be regained, and the SSU officer said that serious arguments were needed in order to reconsider the journalist's case. Doing "good stories about Ukraine" was suggested and Kimer was welcome to use some SSU documents that could be of help.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is pleased that Matilde Kimer is once again allowed to report in Ukraine and continue to do her job.  However, we find it concerning when honest and trustworthy journalism is censored and silenced. As the backbone of democracy, independent journalism must be instead encouraged and provided with a sturdy ecosystem in which it can thrive.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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