Ukraine

140 media freedom violations were recorded in Ukraine alone, which amount to 17.2% of the total registered in all analysed countries. The war in Ukraine also accounted for nine of the 10 killings of journalists during the year.

Widespread destruction of Ukraine’s museums, theaters and libraries, the persecution of writers and artists, and other attacks against Ukrainian heritage expose the breadth of Russia’s attempts to erase the country’s cultural identity as a tactic of war, according to this report by PEN America and PEN Ukraine.

Following a visit to Ukraine from 24 May to 3 June to investigate Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin’s death, RSF is releasing a report with information and evidence indicating that Levin and his friend and bodyguard were executed by Russian soldiers in a forest near Kyiv on 13 March, possibly after being interrogated and even tortured.

Renowned independent journalist Pavel Sheremet of the Ukrayinska Pravda website was murdered in a car bomb attack in Kyiv, likely in retaliation for his reporting

Violence, threats, intimidation, and harassment against media professionals and organizations continued; in the most alarming case of the year, a car bomb killed prominent journalist Pavel Sheremet in July.

“After the initial optimism during the Euromaidan movement, many journalists have become disillusioned. They are faced with the triple challenge of the war in the Eastern part of the country, the economic crisis and the digitalization of mass media.”

Several pieces of media legislation were passed, including laws on access to information, protections for journalists who are attacked in the course of their work, and the privatization of publicly owned print media.

Joint research report by the Institute of Mass Information and GfK Ukraine

“Online journalists, activists, and bloggers in eastern Ukraine were subject to extralegal intimidation and were beaten, tortured, kidnapped”

Ranked 125th in annual global media freedom report

Police cede Independence Square to protesters after two brutal, yet failed attempts to clear downtown core

“Police, security services accused of assaulting reporters”

Ranked 127th in annual press freedom index

Government bans all public events to block Pride Equality March

In spite of the generally high quality of legislation, the reality of implementation is less impressive. Citizens may freely express their views, and collect and disseminate information, but access to free and pluralistic media and to public information held by the authorities is inadequate. Journalists’ working conditions are not secure enough to work safely and remedies for violations of journalists’ rights or attacks on journalists are ineffective.

Ranked 131st in annual global media freedom report

“Academic freedom has come under pressure since Yanukovych took power”

The Institute of Mass Information has created a map highlighting press freedom violations related to the October 28 parliamentary election.

Government officials play down incidents of violence against journalists, claim most attacks “not work-related”

“Negative tendencies” towards suppression of freedom of expression follow Viktor Yanukovych’s installation as president