The Presidential Office has been silent for the past two days about allegations that the Ukrainian Government is exerting “systematic” pressure against Ukrainska Pravda.
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement Oct. 11, calling on Kyiv to cease “obstructing reporting” by Ukrainska Pravda – one of Ukraine’s most prominent newspapers.
CPJ’s appeal comes after a similar statement by Ukrainska Pravda, which was published on October 9, in which it accused the Presidential Office for “ongoing and systemic pressure” in order to “influence our editing policy.”
“Ukrainska Pravda paid a heavy price for a quarter century of rigorous reporting,” Gulnoza Saied, CPJ’s Europe Central Asia program coordinator said.
The alleged attempts to pressurize the media outlet “are nothing short of anti-democratic, given the essential role that the newsroom plays in upholding the core national value of freedom the press.”
Said concluded that “Ukrainian authorities should never discourage investigative journalism, whether it is during peacetime or war.”
CPJ, an NGO based in the United States that promotes press freedom and defends journalists, stated that the Presidential Office has not yet responded to its request for comment. The Kyiv independent has also asked for a comment, but hasn’t received a response.
Ukraine’s independent press has made great strides since 2014’s EuroMaidan Revolution, but there are concerns since Russia’s full scale invasion.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in June, indicated a “shrinking of press freedom” in Ukraine. They highlighted a “worrying decrease” in support and respect media autonomy as well as increased pressure by the state or other actors in Ukraine. The statement was made one month after RSF’s annual press freedom index showed that Ukraine had improved compared to the previous year.
According to Ukrainian editors and watchdogs of press freedom, as reported by the Kyiv independent in July, the media are still under pressure from the authorities. This is despite attacks on investigative reporters provoking a public outcry.
“We have faced pressure in our work many times.” “The last time we experienced such economic restrictions was under the presidency of (Leonid Kuchma”)”, Sevgil Musayeva, editor-in chief of Ukrainska Pravda told the Kyiv Independent in October. She was referring to Ukraine’s president between 1994 and 2005.
Since Ukrainska Pravda’s founding in 2000, two journalists have been killed – co-founder Georgiy Gongadze and top editor Pavel Sheremet.
Gongadze was kidnapped in September 2000. He was a critic of the then-President Kuchma. Two months later, the headless body of Gongadze was found in a wooded area about 70 kilometers from Kyiv.
Sheremet, a Belarusian born in Kyiv, was blown up inside his car on July 20, 2016.
Musayeva emphasized the importance of making the pressures Ukrainska Pravda faces public and called on the international audience to take notice.
She said, “Ukraine has to remain a democratic country and freedom of expression is one of the most valuable values in a society that is free.”
On Oct. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Turkmenistan and spoke at a forum with Central Asian leaders, including the president of Iran.
The alleged attempts to pressurize the media outlet “are nothing less than anti-democratic, given the essential role that the newsroom plays in upholding the core national value of freedom the press,” Gulnoza Saied, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator said.
Vasyl Chynchyk, the head of administration in the town, said that approximately 1,150 people still live there.
Regional authorities reported early on October 11 that Russian attacks in Ukraine have killed six people and injured 27 others over the past 24 hours.
Maksym Kozoytskyi, the Lviv Oblast Governor, confirmed that the passenger bus, which carried the logo of popular transport company FlixBus was travelling from Warsaw to Odesa.
The General Staff has not provided any further details on how the helicopter was destroyed.
In a documentary broadcast on national television, Commander-in Chief Oleksandr Sryskyi stated that “we know about approximately 50,000 soldiers who were transferred from other sectors to the Kursk directions.”
Oleh Kiper, the Governor of Odesa, reported that Russia launched a missile attack on the district, which killed at least four people including a 16 year old girl.
This includes 1,140 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
The Norwegian government will spend up to 967 millions kroner ($87.5 million) on enhancing its defense industry. This money is aimed at supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s full scale invasion.
During his visit to Italy, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented the Ukrainian victory plan to Italian Premier Giorgia Mello.
On Oct. 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Georgians to enter Russia without a visa if they are working or studying there. Moscow is continuing to warm up its relations with Tbilisi despite concerns about the country’s democratic slide.
Bloomberg reported on October 10 that the premiums on war risk insurance for vessels traveling through Ukraine’s Black Sea shipping corridor have increased by approximately 33 per cent as a result of recent Russian attacks on foreign ships.
Local media reported that two large fires broke out at an oil terminal terminal in Russian-occupied Feodosia, late at night, on October 10. They were at the site of another blaze, which had been burning for 4 days, at a previous Ukrainian drone attack.
The strike on Oct. 9, which left eight dead and 11 injured, hit a civilian vessel flying the Panamanian flag and damaged its cargo. This was the third Russian attack on a civilian vessel within four days.
Petro Yatsenko is a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Coordination HQ for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. He said that the circumstances of Viktoria Rosahchyna‘s death are yet to be confirmed.
Ramzan Kadyrov told other officials in the North Caucasian Republic that there were witnesses and people they had tried to commission. They also asked them how much they wanted to charge for the order.
Kim Yong-Hyun, South Korean Defense minister, told lawmakers earlier in October that North Korea likely planned to send troops into Ukraine to fight with Russia.
The Belarusian Hajun group reported that a second Russian Mig-31K capable of carrying Kinzhal rockets landed at Machulishchy Airport in Belarus on October 10.
Five people were injured in a Russian attack on the village of Cherkaska Lozova, north of Kharkiv, on 10 October, according to Oleh Simiehubov.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) provided $435 million long-term debt for Datagroup-Volia-Lifecell, a recently merged Ukrainian telecom company, to improve telecoms service quality, the EBRD said on Oct. 10.
During the visit of U.K. Premier Keir Starmer to London, on 10 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine’s Victory Plan to him.
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