MFA demands release of Ukrainian journalists from Crimea

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Russia to release illegally detained Ukrainian journalists. The fight for truth continues simultaneously against Russian terror and propaganda.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement emphasizing that even in the face of a full-scale war, the country remains committed to freedom of speech and independent media. The ministry emphasized that the fight for truth is now taking place simultaneously on two fronts - against Russian terror and propaganda.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Ukraine maintains a pluralistic media environment and demonstrates growth in international press freedom rankings despite the war. At the same time, Russia, according to the Ukrainian side, is waging a systematic campaign against journalists, from physical attacks to information manipulation, trying to hide its own crimes.

According to official figures, at least 149 media workers have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion, at least 21 of them in the line of duty. Ukraine regards this as deliberate terror against those who report the truth and demands that the perpetrators be brought to justice at the national and international levels.

The statement also emphasizes the situation in the temporarily occupied territories, where strict censorship and repression have been introduced, and freedom of speech has been virtually destroyed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that de-occupation is the only way to restore the rights of journalists and citizens' access to truthful information.

Ukraine also called on international organizations to strengthen the monitoring of violations of freedom of speech and to respond more harshly to crimes against the media. The agency recalled that about 30 Ukrainian journalists remain in Russian captivity and called for their immediate release.

The statement summarized that protecting freedom of speech is a shared responsibility of the international community, as its destruction poses a threat to the democratic future.

On April 10, the Crimean Tatar community celebrated Journalism Day, a date that dates back to 1883, when the educator Ismail Gasprinsky published the first issue of the Terciman newspaper. This publication became the foundation for the development of the independent Crimean Tatar press. Currently, journalism on the peninsula has actually become a pretext for persecution, searches and years of imprisonment.

Анна Бальчінос