Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko released after four years of Russian detention
Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko was released on June 22 after more than four years in Russian imprisonment, and has left Russian-occupied Crimea.
press freedom
Trump administration sends layoff notices to 600 Voice of America staff, NYT reports
U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown against Voice of America has been celebrated by Russian propagandists, who welcomed the cuts to the network.
Remaining Voice of America employees expected to receive termination notice this week, Politico reports
A senior VOA employee told Politico that USAGM-led layoffs would likely affect all staff, effectively shuttering operations. Earlier this month on May 15, about 600 contractors working for VOA received termination notices.
Thousands protest in Hungary against Russia-style bill targeting media, NGOs
Protesters packed Kossuth Square outside Hungary's parliament, denouncing the bill as an attack on civil society and democratic freedoms.
Most Russians ‘don’t care about the war,’ says journalist Ekaterina Barabash after escaping Russia
In early May, 64-year-old film critic and journalist Ekaterina Barabash made international headlines when it was revealed that she had pulled off a daring escape from house arrest in Russia and sought political asylum in France. Barabash was put under house arrest in February for posts that she had made
If authoritarians are scared of journalists, we must be doing something right
“How do we continue convincing our few remaining allies that journalists’ work is important?” Last month, I was sitting on stage at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Europe’s biggest journalism conference, when I heard this question from an audience member. The answer came to me fast. “Point at
Global press freedom enters 'difficult situation' due to financial, propaganda pressure, RSF warns
The index highlights an unprecedented economic crisis across independent outlets in Europe, worsened by the collapse of American aid and the spread of Russian propaganda.
Russia's torture of Viktoriia Roshchyna shocks world, but dozens of Ukrainian journalists still in captivity
It took several DNA tests to confirm the identity of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who was killed in Russian captivity in the fall of 2024. Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while on a reporting trip in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow only acknowledged her detention the following year. Ukraine was
RFE/RL Ukraine editorial office cutting broadcasts, places employees on leave amid 'financial challenges'
The editorial office of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Ukraine announced on April 11 that it was reducing its broadcasts and placing a number of it employees on leave as the U.S. government-funded media organization continues to endure "financial challenges" amid the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate grant funding.
USAGM agrees to partially fund RFE/RL as judge weighs case over Trump cuts
RFE/RL sued USAGM on March 18 over the termination of grant funding, arguing that the step violates federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.
Voice of America journalists sue Trump administration following president's order to gut free press
The lawsuit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop funding for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Critical Ukraine coverage at risk as Trump slashes Radio Free Europe funding
The U.S. decision to cut off funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty came as a surprise for the outlet’s newsroom, a source in the RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service told the Kyiv Independent. “We understood that the U.S. president, to put it mildly, does not like us,
EU foreign ministers to discuss US withdrawal of funding for RFE/RL
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the termination of the U.S. grant that funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) during a meeting in Brussels on March 17, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter in Brussels.
'Everyone is really shocked and upset' — Trump administration puts Voice of America journalists on leave, cuts funding to Radio Free Europe
The Trump administration on March 15 followed up a on an executive order signed a day earlier by President Donald Trump vowing to gut funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). As a
63-year-old Russian film critic put under house arrest in Moscow for ‘fake news’ about war in Ukraine
Independent Russian film critic Ekaterina Barabash was placed under house arrest by a Moscow court for posting “fake news” on her Facebook account about the war in Ukraine, her son Yurii Barabash reported on Facebook on Feb. 26. Detained by the Russian Investigative Committee on Feb. 25, Barabash will remain
Russia detains independent journalist Ekaterina Barabash in Moscow
The Russian Investigative Committee detained film critic Ekaterina Barabash in Moscow, her son Yuri Barabash reported on Facebook on Feb. 25.
Azerbaijan suspends local BBC News office
The British broadcaster confirmed that it had taken the "reluctant decision" to close the office following verbal instructions from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
Musk calls for shutting down US-funded outlets Radio Free Europe, Voice of America
"Yes, shut them down. Europe is free now (not counting stifling bureaucracy). Nobody listens to them anymore. It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money," Musk wrote.
Russia blocked 417,000 websites in 2024, media reports
In 2024, Russian authorities blocked 417,000 websites, the Russian independent news outlet Verstka reported.
For the first time, Russia labels independent media outlet as 'terrorist group'
Russia's FSB has designated the independent media outlet Komi Daily as a "terrorist organization."
Controversial bill on state leaks fails to pass parliament
The legislation was lambasted by the media and activists as an attempt to hamper investigations into corruption and other illicit activities by officials.
Ukrainian journalists meet G7 ambassadors to discuss country's media landscape
"Press freedom and pluralism are crucial for strengthening democracy, supporting political debate, and advancing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path," the G7's representation in Ukraine said on X.
Kyiv won't stop supporting wartime pool of TV channels before martial law ends
The Ukrainian government doesn't plan to stop supporting the telethon, Ukraine's state-run pool of TV channels created during wartime, before the end of the martial law, Interfax Ukraine reported on Oct. 31, citing Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi.
Moscow court sentences Ukrainian-born film producer to 8 and a half years in absentia for reporting on Russian war crimes
Moscow's Basmanny district court sentenced Ukrainian film producer Alexander Rodnyansky, on Oct. 21, to 8 and a half years in absentia for "spreading fake information" about the Russian Army.
Georgia denies journalist entry to cover elections amid rising Russian influence
Czech journalist Ray Baseley was denied entry to Georgia without an explanation after arriving at Tbilisi airport on Oct. 22 to cover the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Zelensky's advisor responds to allegations of pressure on Ukrainska Pravda, calls it 'incorrect story'
Ukraine's presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn's reaction came after almost a week of silence after Ukrainska Pravda claimed that the Ukrainian government is exerting "systematic pressure" against one of Ukraine’s biggest news media sites.
Silence from Zelensky’s Office as CPJ urges halt to Kyiv’s ‘systematic pressure’ against Ukrainska Pravda
The alleged attempts to pressure the media outlet are "are nothing short of anti-democratic given the essential role of the newsroom in upholding a core national value of freedom of the press," said Gulnoza Said, the Committee to Protect Journalist's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator.
Ukrainska Pravda raises alarm over 'systematic pressure' from President's Office
Ukraine's independent media has taken great strides since the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, but concerns have been raised since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Hungarians protest 'ruling party propaganda,' demand more media freedom
The protests, launched outside of the building of the state-owned MTVA media company, were organized by Hungary's leading opposition figure and head of the Tisza party, Peter Magyar.
US-sanctioned ex-Ukrainian official wins defamation lawsuit against media, including Kyiv Independent
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv on Sept. 23 ruled in favor of Andriy Portnov, a former top official in ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, in a defamation case against several news outlets, including the Kyiv Independent. Portnov challenged a reference to him as a “pro-Russian” politician and a person
Italian journalists reporting from Kursk to return home after Moscow's threats
The RAI news team were the first to publish a foreign media report of Ukraine's incursion in Kursk Oblast.
War interrupts bizarre trial of top journalist assassination in Ukraine
Two years ago, a man and two women – a Ukrainian rock musician turned soldier, a military medic, and a female pediatric surgeon – faced potential conviction in one of Ukraine's most high-profile assassination cases: the 2016 car bombing of journalist Pavel Sheremet. But in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion,
(Updated: )
Most popular
Editors' Picks
With no new US aid packages on the horizon, can Ukraine continue to fight Russia?
From buffer zone to new front: Russia pushes deeper into Sumy Oblast
As Russia inches closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, new Ukrainian region might soon be at war
