News Feed

NYT: Ukrainians tired of 'state propaganda'

2 min read
NYT: Ukrainians tired of 'state propaganda'
Ukraine's Telemarathon features catchy slogans and uplifting news. (TV Marathon 1+1)

Once described as a "weapon" by President Volodymyr Zelensky, many Ukrainians after nearly two years of war say they are getting tired of the government-backed Telemarathon broadcasted 24/7, the New York Times reported on Jan. 3.

Oksana Romaniuk, chief of the Kyiv-based Institute of Mass Information, called it state propaganda, saying “Everyone is fed up with this picture that says, We’re winning, everyone likes us and gives us money."

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainians have been shown a single source of tv news that circles around political leaders rallying support abroad and troops blasting Russian positions. It features catchy slogans and mood-lifting themes.

Most Ukrainians saw the Telemarathon as vital at the beginning of the war. “It was lifesaving content,” according to Khrystyna Havryliuk, a well known local journalist.

But as the war enters its third year, the number of Ukrainians who trust the Telemarathon has dropped significantly from 69 percent in May 2022 to just 43 percent in December 2023, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

A similar study revealed that more than two-fifths of Ukrainians support possibly moving on from the program.

A power grab or a weapon against Russia? Ukraine’s ‘TV marathon’ explained
One of the war-time projects most treasured by the Ukrainian government is Ukraine’s TV marathon – a united news programming produced by the country’s biggest media outlets altogether, which broadcasts 24/7 on all major Ukrainian TV channels. Branded as “United News,” the TV marathon was launched a…
Article image
Avatar
Lance Luo

Lance Luo (Li P. Luo) is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hromadske Television in Kyiv. He also spent three years in finance and strategy consulting. Mr. Luo graduated from the University of Southern California and serves as an arbitrator at FINRA.

Read more
News Feed

The group is using an "adversary-in-the-middle" technique to deploy its custom "ApolloShadow" malware for intelligence collection. This campaign, active since at least 2024, poses a high risk to diplomatic entities and sensitive organizations in Moscow, particularly those relying on local internet providers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law significantly expanding the grounds for revoking naturalized Russian citizenship, now listing crimes such as extremism, murder, and collaboration against the state.

Show More