Ukraine needs censorship on active military operations, but political discussion should remain free - Portnikov

Portnikov stated his case in an online discussion titled "Media Freedom During Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine", which took place on  first day of the International Three-Day Conference "After the War: Rethinking the Future of Civil Society".

Portnikov posited that, in a democratic state, no circumstances should be allowed to override freedom of speech. However, he conceded that there should be certain restrictions during hostilities to ensure that information disclosed does not harm national security.

"I have been saying a simple thing since 2014 (when Russian troops actually attacked Ukraine): military censorship, which we still don’t have, is a must. It imposes restrictions on the disclosure of information that could harm national security. In Israel, even the names of people who die in terrorist attacks are only disclosed later, once the military censors permit it, not to mention what happens during escalations, such as Israel’s war against the Arab world, the situation in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, or Gaza. There are always clear restrictions on disclosing information about law enforcement agencies’ operations, especially those of the Israel army. And here’s a key point! The actions of country's political leadership are usually discussed. TV channels and online media freely assess the actions of the country's political leadership during these conflicts. I would like to emphasize: not when it comes to the army or Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Those discussions are not had during a war. And there can be no question of disclosing any information that could cause problems for the army and for the country’s national interests. Everything else remains free,” explains Portnikov.

In addition, the journalist notes, after each war in Israel there is a parliamentary committee comprising military experts that carefully reviews the political and military leadership’s decisions and actions before, during and immediately after the war. He argues that a similar commission should be set up in Ukraine.

“If we don’t create a commission like this, if we don’t clearly discuss all the actions of our political and military leadership of the country in 2019-2021 (and possibly their predecessors), we will again be on the verge of losing our statehood and succumbing to the continued occupation of Ukrainian territory. As for shortcomings and successes in preparation for defense and during hostilities - who made what decisions should be looked at. It is clear that this will only be possible after the fighting is over,” Portnikov said.