US State Department: Ukrainian mass media are only "partly free"

This is the conclusion reached by American experts, as it is stated in the US State Department annual report.

Following the full-scale invasion of Russia, Ukraine's constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and press has been limited. The government has blocked publications it deems a threat to national security, including long standing opposition TV channels. The State Department has criticized the level of investigation into attacks on Ukrainian journalists, citing insufficient progress.

The US government has expressed concern that the Yedyni Novyny telethon, launched in spring 2022, could further increase government control over broadcasting. Throughout the year, politicians and experts have echoed this sentiment.

Television stations affiliated with opposition parties, such as Channel 5, Pryamyi, and Espreso, were not formally invited to participate in the unified broadcast. The authorities introduced a rule allowing media to be removed from national digital airwaves if they refused to reduce their own content broadcast to less than 12 hours, effectively censoring these channels. As a result, they are now only accessible through the internet, according to the American government.

It is also believed that the public broadcaster is also under pressure, as the authorities require it to coordinate and support state policy.

"Local UA:PBC branches claimed senior representatives from the Office of the President and other government bodies lobbied the broadcaster’s supervisory board to support favored candidates for key leadership positions," the State Department report says.

The authors of the document have highlighted that, according to representatives of the Ukrainian opposition, the joint marathon demonstrates signs of censorship and corruption. Specifically, last fall, journalists from the independent publication Bihus.Info discovered that the news unit for the telethon was produced by the company Kinokit, which is linked to Kyryl Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The State Department report emphasized that this represents a direct intervention by the authorities in the editorial policies of the mass media.

Additionally, the American government has expressed concerns regarding the allocation of taxpayers' money to finance state media and the lack of transparency regarding where these funds are going. Censor.NET reported that in March, the Ukrainian government allocated the equivalent of 5 million pounds to TV channels owned by oligarchs Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Viktor Pinchuk, and Dmytro Firtash, to produce content for the state-owned TV channel FreeDom. The report noted that a total of 9 million pounds has already been allocated to the channel, which has significantly restricted its broadcasting and ability to convey the position of the Ukrainian state since the beginning of the war.

American officials believe that the Ukrainian government may attempt to exert control over all information pertaining to hostilities. The report cites the case of a Ukrainian military officer, a battalion commander known as Kupol, who was demoted after speaking to The Washington Post about his views on the front line.

Furthermore, the US State Department has highlighted that the Ministry of Defense is in the process of launching a new state television channel, ArmyTV, which has raised concerns about the government's desire to establish a media outlet with exclusive rights to cover the war. Some fear that this could result in censorship and biased reporting, with only pro-government perspectives being allowed.

The report emphasizes that Ukraine is seeking to fast-track its accession to the European Union, but that it must demonstrate its commitment to democratic principles and freedom of speech. The EU places great importance on these issues, and Ukraine must prove that it is upholding these values in practice, particularly in the face of the ongoing conflict.

According to a recent report by human rights organization Freedom House, Ukraine's ranking for internet freedom has declined, with the country now being classified as "partly free". This is due in part to the Russian invasion of February 2022, which has undermined freedom of expression in the country.