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Freedom of speech in 2026: Between Brussels' demands and the realities of war

About the author: Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is a Ukrainian MP and chair of the parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech. For Ukraine's media environment, 2026 is set to be an intense year — no less demanding than 2025. In December, the president signed the law opening parliamentary committees to the public, which significantly eases the work of journalists and civil society actors by introducing online broadcasts, open meetings, and advance access to agendas. These changes also apply to local se

Ukraine This Year: a year of stalled peace and escalating war

In this year-end wrap-up of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur looks back at the moments that defined 2025, the fourth year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — from stalled peace efforts and escalating Russian attacks to mass anti-corruption protests and political upheaval at home.

About Crimea

Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in February 2014 amid the deadliest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution. Around 30,000 Russian troops crossed into Crimea, taking hold of the peninsula by early March 2014. Russia has continued to occupy Crimea ever since. Crimea covers an area of around 27,000 square kilometers (10,400 square miles), roughly the same size as the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

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