Odesa Journalist Leonid Zaslavsky Passes Away at 78 - A Tribute to His Legacy

On April 22, 2025, Leonid Zaslavsky, the head of the trade union of independent journalists in Odesa, died at the age of 78.

This was reported by his son Yevhen Zaslavsky.

According to him, Leonid Abramovich passed away at home in Odesa.

In his post, the son said that in the last years of his life, his father suffered a heavy loss of his wife and friends who had passed away earlier.

"Now, I hope, he can be with them again. Rest in peace, my dad. I have never known a kinder person than you, you taught me a lot, I am very grateful to you, I love you very much and I am terribly sad now," he wrote.

Photo: Screenshot of the message

Leonid Zaslavsky was a well-known Odesa journalist, public figure and chairman of the Independent Trade Union of Journalists of Odesa. He actively defended freedom of speech and the rights of media workers, especially in times of political pressure and censorship.

In 2002, Zaslavsky headed an initiative group to create the Odesa Independent Media Trade Union, which aimed to counteract manipulations in the media and promote corporate solidarity among journalists. Under his leadership, the trade union actively responded to cases of pressure on journalists, in particular, expressing concern about the beating of a lawyer of the Odesa Plus TV company and demanding an investigation into the incident.

Zaslavsky also opposed restrictions on journalists' access to information. For example, in 2004, he reported on the revocation of journalists' accreditations for a session of the Odesa City Council, which was considering the formation of a federation of eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. His activities were aimed at protecting the rights of journalists and ensuring impartial coverage of events in Odesa. Zaslavsky emphasized the importance of the presence of journalists at the scene and criticized pro-government TV channels for their lack of coverage of the protests.

On April 16, the Consul General of Moldova in Odesa, Ion Chorny, died. He passed away due to illness.

Before that, judge and deputy chairman of the Odesa Court of Appeal Andriy Dryshlyuk passed away. The cause of the judge's death was not announced. Andrii Dryshliuk was a guest on the IzbirKom FM podcast. He spoke about international projects, judicial reform, and judges' incomes.

Also in Odesa, a conservatory teacher and musician Natalia Buzanova died.

Ірина Глухова