IMI records 10 freedom of speech violations in July 2025
The Institute of Mass Information experts recorded 10 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in July 2025, according to the IMI’s monthly monitoring study “Freedom of Speech Barometer”. All incidents were unrelated to Russia’s war on Ukraine and were committed by citizens of Ukraine.
It was reported in July that a Chernihiv journalist turned serviceman who had been considered missing in action for months had died:
- Bohdan Zayats, journalist with the communal TV channel Novyi Chernihiv and UAF serviceman. Died in a Russian shelling strike on Ukrainian army positions in Donetsk oblast on January 30, 2025. The media worker was drafted in September 2023 as deputy head of the TV channel’s news team.
Of the 10 freedom of speech violations, 3 were categorized as denial of access to information and 3 as online pressure, other categories (one case each) included obstruction of reporting, unlawful detention, censorship, and legal pressure.
These ten cases are representative of the entire range of threats to freedom of speech in Ukraine: from censorship and detention to legal and digital persecution. They show how the state, businesses, and law enforcement structures can (directly or by proxy) influence independent journalism. The problem is exacerbated by journalist protection mechanisms being weak and the government failing to respond appropriately.
The online media outlet RBC Ukraine faced obstruction and a smear attempt following their news story about activist Nazariy Husakov’s schemes for withdrawing money through gambling companies. Anonymous Telegram channels and disreputable news websites started publishing false information about the media outlet, alleging that the team was affiliated with the persons mentioned in the news story. The team filed an obstruction statement with the police.
Unlawful detention of a Hromadske journalist in Kyiv
Hromadske journalist Maksym Kotsiubynskyi was detained by Kyiv police after filming evidence of Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna using an apartment not mentioned in her declaration. The police kept him in custody for several hours with no detention report being drawn up, searched him, and attempted to access his phone. The journalist’s lawyer stressed that the police had no legal grounds to detain Kotsiubynskyi and were in violation of the law on the protection of reporters.
Censorship attempt in Kropyvnytskyi
Anastasia Dzyubak, chief editor of the online news outlet Hrechka, said that a Kirovohradska Oblast Military Administration official attempted to pressure the media outlet into removing the names of the recipients from their news story reporting on the ceremony awarding the veterans housing certificates. All the contested information was public and had been announced during the ceremony. IMI lawyers confirmed that the information was open access and the official’s demand was unfounded censorship.
Denial of access to information:
- Ternopil City Council restricts access to the city’s master plan
The 20 Khvylyn team was only able to review the city’s master plan after complaining to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, but the City Council barred the journalists from taking photos of it with no legal grounds for such a ban. A journalist called the police and filed a statement on restriction of access to public information. - Kyiv Pechersk Lavra withholds information
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra refused to provide information on their news spokesperson to Detector Media, claiming it was “not public information” despite the institution receiving funding from the state budget. - Kamyanets-Podilsk City Council only answers a query after a complaint
ZHAR.INFO journalist Maria Turchyna only received an answer to her query regarding the City Council deputies’ business trips abroad after an intervention by the Human Rights Commissioner. The City Council attempted to dodge the question by demanding the journalist verify her identity, which is illegal. The media outlet is contesting the officials’ actions as a violation of their right to access information.
Three journalists faced online pressure over their reporting:
ZN.ua journalist Inna Vedernikova said she and her family were targeted in a commissioned smear campaign by anonymous Telegram channels. The suspects state officials displeased with the media outlet’s critical reporting to be involved. The campaign included over 30 derogatory mentions of the journalist over the course of several days.
Khmelnytskyi journalists Kateryna Vovk (Linza) and Alyona Bereza (ZHAR.INFO) were targeted in an SMS bombing attack after reporting on the protests in Khmelnytskyi in support of NABU and SAPO. Kateryna Vovk faced a mass SMS attack and an attempt to access her Telegram profile. The attack lasted 5 hours and targeted the phone number she had shared while talking with the police earlier, which points to a possible link between her reporting and the pressure.
Alyona Bereza faced a similar digital attack following her Facebook post on unlawful construction and her reporting on NABU independence protests. She received a flood of messages and Viber texts with password change or sign-in codes from various websites over the course of several hours. She believes the attack had to do with her reporting.
Legal pressure on the Cherkasy-based media outlet 18000
The media outlet’s journalist Iryna Maliukova was summoned for questioning by the police over an investigation into a local judge that was released a year ago. The judge filed a complaint with the police, who opened a case on “interference with the work of a judge.” The team considers this a form of persecution and pressure against the journalists for exposing corruption.
Read the full monitoring study here.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian non-governmental media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.
The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).
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