On March 2, 2022, Russian troops occupied the city of Balakliia in Kharkiv oblast, which is 45 km away from Ukraine’s border with Russia. The employees of the local “Dani-Info” radio station had to find a safer place for themselves and their families. Only two out of six team members stayed in Balakliia, including the radio station director and music editor. The others fled to more secure regions of Ukraine or abroad. Later, in four months, the rest of the employees had to flee as well due to the threat to their lives and constant air shelling.

Despite the occupation, “Dani-Info” kept broadcasting Ukrainian news until the tower with radio transmitter was damaged as a result of severe hostilities. In April 2022, having lost the ability to be on air, “Dani-Info” shifted to digital format. It continued providing reports on the website and social media.

“Dani-Info” director and music editor hid the studio equipment in construction debris in the basement for it not to be stolen or damaged. It was a brilliant idea since the studio was robbed for six times during the six months of occupation. All household appliances were stolen. Fortunately, the studio premises remained undamaged.

On September 8, 2022, Ukrainian defenders de-occupied Balakliia. In November 2022, three “Dani-Info” employees returned to Balakliia and continued their work at the company. The other employees kept staying abroad and working remotely.

For the following year “Dani-Info” continued producing content for digital platforms to inform the community about the most important news. Yet, it required proper support to ensure a stable and safe work environment. Unfortunately, due to poor funding and lack of resources, the station had to shut down in 2023.