Journalist Maria Skibinska of Focus and Her Mother Killed in Head-On Crash in Zhytomyr Oblast

On the afternoon of August 29, a fatal traffic accident occurred on a highway in Zhytomyr Oblast: near the village of Synhaid in Korosten District, a passenger car and a bus collided. This was reported to the 5 Channel by law enforcement officers working at the scene. According to the State Emergency Service (SES), rescuers used hydraulic tools to extricate the bodies of two victims trapped in the deformed body of the car, as well as the injured bus driver. Specialists are investigating all the circumstances of the collision.

Circumstances of the Collision

The accident occurred during the daytime on a stretch of road in Korosten District of Zhytomyr Oblast. As a result of the head-on collision between the passenger car and the bus, the car was severely damaged, leaving its occupants trapped inside the cabin. SES units responded to the scene and used hydraulic tools to free the trapped people. The bus driver sustained injuries and was also extricated by the rescuers. Photos from the scene have been published in the official channels of the SES of Zhytomyr Oblast.

Victims of the Accident

According to the 5 Channel, two women were in the passenger car and died at the scene: journalist Maria Skibinska and her mother, Natalya Skibinska, who worked at the television channel. Maria's death was confirmed on Facebook by her husband, Danylo Zubko, a serviceman of the 95th Polessia Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to him, details of the burial will be announced later. The injured bus driver, extricated by the rescuers, received medical assistance.

Maria Skibinska's Career

Maria Skibinska had more than 18 years of experience in the media industry. Over the course of her career, she worked at the RBC-Ukraine agency, the UMH and Edipresse Ukraine media holdings, and at the 5 Channel, where for a long time she headed the editorial team of the 5.UA website. In November 2025, she took up the position of editor-in-chief of the Focus publication, a post she held at the time of her death.

Context: Road Fatalities in Ukraine

The incident in Zhytomyr Oblast occurred against the backdrop of a series of major traffic accidents on Ukrainian highways. Thus, on July 4 in Mykolaiv Oblast, 12 people died in a collision between a minibus and a truck, and on July 7 on the Kyiv–Odesa highway, a 15-year-old passenger died in a collision between a minibus and a truck, while ten more people were injured. Specialists continue to establish the causes and circumstances of the fatal collision in Korosten District.