Ukrainian journalist and blogger Emma Antoniuk, on the RBC-Ukraine podcast "ETO BAZA" (a Styler project), spoke about how she considered the possibility of mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine and why she ultimately refused it. According to her, she personally contacted representatives of military units, discussed service conditions, and even expressed readiness to perform tasks far removed from media activities. However, after a series of conversations with recruiters, she concluded that her contribution to supporting the army would be more effective through her own media projects and charitable fundraisers.
Dialogue with recruiters: from Azov to Nemesis
Antoniuk stated that she personally spoke with a representative of the Azov unit and a Nemesis recruiter to discuss the possibility of her mobilization. During these conversations, she was offered specifically a media role—the so-called "media sector." The journalist, however, tried to convince her interlocutors of her physical fitness and endurance, citing regular functional training. She also expressed readiness to help at a stabilization point or join an assault unit, emphasizing that she wanted to try herself in a role extending beyond content and publicity.
Focus on effectiveness: one million hryvnias per month
The key argument in favor of refusing mobilization was, according to Antoniuk, the calculation of the volume of real assistance she is able to provide to the army through her blog projects. She explained that thanks to regular content publishing and attracting a wide audience, she manages to organize charitable fundraisers amounting to about one million hryvnias per month. Mobilization into a media unit, in her estimation, would deprive her of the opportunity to create such a volume of materials and maintain the same audience, which would inevitably reduce the amounts of funds raised.
"An excuse for a person at the position": Antoniuk evaluates her own arguments
The journalist did not hide the fact that her logic might be perceived ambiguously, especially by those who have been on the frontline for a long time. "I understand that this is a poor excuse for a person who has been in position for the hundredth day. I won't reach the position because, it seems, I am not very useful there," she said on the podcast. This admission essentially became the most-quoted fragment of her speech and sparked a discussion in social media about what a citizen's contribution should be in wartime and whether it is permissible to choose a "convenient" form of participation.
Context: the Styler podcast and the publicity of charity
Antoniuk's speech took place on the podcast "ETO BAZA," which is released as part of the entertainment and lifestyle project Styler by RBC-Ukraine. Earlier on the same platform, the journalist gave a blitz interview where she spoke about charity and the publicity of fundraisers. Thus, the topic of her personal choice regarding military service became a continuation of a broader conversation about the role of media personalities in the mobilization process and how publicity can transform into a tool to support the army. The Styler editorial team, like other publications, reminds that the evaluative judgments of publication authors, according to Ukrainian legislation, are not subject to refutation and proof of their truthfulness.
Broader picture: the discussion on "media mobilization" and its boundaries
Antoniuk's case fits into the broader context of discussing how the state and society evaluate the contribution of citizens who do not go through formal mobilization but continue to work in the media and charitable fields. On one hand, regular fundraisers of one million hryvnias per month are a tangible resource for units. On the other hand, the public justification for refusing service, even with the presence of alternative forms of participation, inevitably causes disputes about where the line lies between conscious choice and evasion. Antoniuk, while acknowledging the weakness of her arguments in the eyes of front-line fighters, nevertheless established a position that is likely to be discussed in the Ukrainian media space for a long time to come.
