Russia-Ukraine watch
How the war is affecting press freedom in the region Updated June 16, 2022 Russia’s February 24 full-scale invasion of Ukraine marked a sharp escalation in threats to press freedom in the region and beyond. Journalists in Ukraine have been killed covering the war, while many of their Russian counterparts have fled or faced persecution….
Opinion: How the West can help the media victims of Putin’s war
Russia’s independent journalists are fleeing. That’s not only a tragedy for Russians but also for the rest of us who need to know what the increasingly isolated leader of a nuclear superpower is doing. Since sending tanks into Ukraine on February 24, President Vladimir Putin has threatened to jail anyone who dares question the invasion…
CPJ: ‘Putin has plunged Russia into an information dark age’
New York, March 5, 2022– In response to the news of Russia’s recent “false information” legislation, internet blocks of social media websites, the shuttering of major independent media outlets, and the exodus of prominent global media outlets, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement on Saturday: “President Vladimir Putin has plunged Russia into…
‘There will be more repression’: Exiled Russian journalist Irina Borogan on Moscow’s censorship of Ukraine invasion
As the Russian military continues its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is also fighting a different kind of battle at home in its attempts to quash independent news coverage and dissenting narratives about the attack it launched on February 24. Across Russia, journalists have been detained and their outlets investigated, blocked, and restricted from using social media. On…
Russia further blocks media outlets, social media
New York, March 4, 2022 – Russian authorities should allow all local and international media outlets and social media platforms to operate freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday, March 4, blocked access to several news websites, including those of BBC Russian, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle,…
Russia’s silencing of Ekho Moskvy forces a sad end on a brave broadcaster
Russia’s silencing of Ekho Moskvy over its Ukraine war coverage marks an end to an iconic radio station with a brave history dating back to the late Soviet era. Even in the heady final years of glasnost (“openness”), hiding truth from the Soviet public was pretty easy for the country’s Communist leaders. When hardline Communists…
Russia blocks Ekho Moskvy and Dozhd TV, restricts social media access
Washington, D.C., March 1, 2021 — Russian authorities should allow Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow), Dozhd TV, and all other news outlets to work freely, and should refrain from restricting access to social media platforms, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since last week, Russian authorities have slowed and restricted access to Facebook and…
Across Russia, journalists detained, threatened over coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Washington, D.C., February 28, 2022 – Russian authorities must allow reporters to do their jobs covering the country’s invasion of Ukraine and protests against the war without fear of punitive retaliation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. At least five journalists are facing charges and dozens more were detained across Russia following their coverage…
EU must urge Polish leaders to respect press freedom
Brussels February 17, 2022 – European Union ministers should prioritize press freedom reform in Poland when the EU General Affairs Council meets to discuss rule of law concerns in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “When Poland attacks press freedom, it makes a mockery of European Union values,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s…