Voice of America to relaunch Ukrainian-language broadcasting

Voice of America will resume its Ukrainian-language broadcasts and return some employees of its Ukrainian Service to work, Ruslan Petrychka, head of the broadcaster's Ukrainian Service, announced on Aug. 5.

According to Petrychka, employees have already begun preparing to resume broadcasts next week following management's decision to restore the service.

He welcomed the move, saying it comes at a critical time as Russia continues its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities.

"This is a very important decision!" Petrychka wrote. "Especially now, when Russia is cynically shelling Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities every day, killing civilians and continuing large-scale propaganda and disinformation campaigns against Ukraine."

Petrychka also said restoring the service highlights the importance of Ukrainian-language broadcasting to Voice of America's mission and expressed hope that additional staff members would soon return to work.

"The restoration of the Ukrainian Service confirms the strategic importance of Ukrainian-language broadcasting for fulfilling Voice of America's mission and the interests of the United States," he said. "And this is good for Ukraine."

While he remains the nominal head of the Ukrainian Service, Petrychka said he is still on administrative leave and therefore could not comment on the details of the decision.

Voice of America operates under the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which was among seven federal agencies targeted for downsizing under an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in March 2025.

The outlet previously faced criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the outlet of being "radical."

VOA, launched in 1942 to counter wartime propaganda, has long been a central pillar of press freedom, broadcasting in 49 languages to more than 360 million people worldwide.