On Friday, February 21, The International Press Institute and the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) will hold a public discussion in Kyiv titled “Three Years of Resistance: Freedom of Speech in the Face of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion”, dedicated to the realities faced by media and independent journalists in Ukraine.

Event participants will contribute with new data on Russian crimes against Ukrainian media, as well as other challenges faced by Ukrainian media during the war. Participants will also discuss the role of the media in maintaining the resilience of Ukraine’s democracy and in resisting Russian aggression.

IPI will present the findings of its three-year monitoring of press freedom violations committed in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which are based on data collected in the IPI Ukraine War Press Freedom Tracker.

Date: February 21, 2025
Time: 11:00
Duration: 1.5 hours
Location: to be shared with registered guests

Please register for the event by following the link. No livestream planned.

Guests of the public discussion will include:

  • Oksana Romaniuk, Director of the Institute of Mass Information;
  • Karol Łuczka, Eastern Europe Advocacy Lead at the International Press Institute (IPI);
  • Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech;
  • Kateryna Dyachuk, chief of freedom of speech monitoring at the Institute of Mass Information;
  • Yevhenia Kravchuk, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy;
  • Oleksiy Boniuk, chief of criminal law policy and investment protection at the Prosecutor General’s Office;
  • Kateryna Kobernyk, Babel chief editor;
  • Natalia Lyhachova, Board Chair at the NGO Detector Media;
  • Serhiy Nikitenko, the IMI representative in Kherson oblast and Most chief editor;
  • Hanna Krasnostup, chief of information policy and information security of the MCSC.

Representatives of Ukrainian media organizations, journalists, and chief editors will also be able to join the public discussion.

Discussion agenda:

  • Key results of the Monitoring Study of Russia’s Crimes Against Journalists and the Media. Presentation of new data by the IMI.
  • The 2024 media freedom situation in Europe and Ukraine. Report by IPI and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners.
  • The future of independent journalism in Ukraine: ensuring the media’s sustainability in the face of war and economic instability.

For further information, please contact Karol Łuczka at kluczka@ipi.media.