In September, INMA awarded 30 young professionals around the world with its fifth “30 Under 30” award as part of its Young Professionals Initiative. This is the 19th in a series of 30 features about the impressive rising media stars who are shaping our industry.

Launching her journalism career whilst still a student, Anastasiia Rudenko has always been eager to jump in and put her skills to work.

In 2018, the media manager from Ukraine founded Rubryka, the first publication in her country to not just report the problems but talk about how they can be solved. Her solutions-based media platform has gained traction, gaining international recognition for its innovative reporting style.

Under Anastasiia’s leadership, Rubryka became the first European newsroom cohort engaged in solutions journalism and, in 2024, it joined the SoJo Europe cohort. Her commitment to solutions journalism has been widely recognised, and she is now an accredited solutions journalism trainer.

In 2023, she became the first Ukrainian LEDE fellow of the Solutions Journalism Network, and today she leads three media teams — a total of more than 60 individuals — and works tirelessly to be a voice for solutions-focused journalism.

Two years after founding Rubryka, Anastasiia revived Eastern Variant, an independent online media outlet covering the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The project wasn’t just a professional endeavour but a personal passion, as she is originally from Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.

More recently, in 2023, Anastasiia initiated the Recovery Window Media Network, uniting over 80 media and NGOs to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. This network enhances the capacity of Ukrainian media to foster a transparent and inclusive recovery process.

Anastasiia continues taking innovative and creative approaches to improve the news media industry and inspire change in those around her. In addition to her master’s degree in political science from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, she has furthered her education with courses at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and King’s College London to better equip her for leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Her dedication to team development and relentless pursuit of new projects inspire her colleagues and the younger generation, and in November 2024, she accepted a Democracy Courage Tribute award from the World Movement for Democracy on behalf of the Ukrainian Civil Society. The WMD noted that her work “has played a vital role in strengthening the democratic institutions” in Ukraine even as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues.

Anastasiia’s work, particularly amidst the challenges of war, illustrates her ability to lead and innovate with strength and courage whilst inspiring others to join her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .