Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the general debate
of the UNGA Fourth Committee on agenda item 53 (“Questions relating to information”)

(4 November 2025)

Mr. Chair, 

Let me start by thanking the Secretary-General and the Department of Global Communications for ensuring equal access to accurate, reliable and relevant information. We acknowledge their crucial role in countering mis- and disinformation.

At the same time, Russia continues to intensify its disinformation warfare in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine. Despite a certain reduction in military spending under the 2026 budget, Russia’s funding for propaganda is set to increase by an extraordinary 54 per cent, clearly illustrating its priorities focused on disinformation.

Ukraine believes that a comprehensive and systemic approach is needed to counter attempts to manipulate and falsify information in order to legitimize violations of the UN Charter, wars of aggression and occupation and to undermine international peace and security. It is crucial to clearly distinguish disinformation and propaganda of war — and those who spread it — from journalism and professional journalists. Russian state-backed propagandists, masquerading as “journalists,” have incited hatred towards Ukrainians, glorified the occupying army’s war crimes and attempted to justify Russia’s aggression and blatant violations of the UN Charter.

Distinguished colleagues,

Last year, we drew attention to the case of Viktoriia Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist known for her work with Hromadske, Ukrainska Pravda and Radio Liberty, who courageously documented Russia’s atrocities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and was killed in Russian detention after being brutally tortured. This year, we are once again compelled to address new crimes committed by Russia against media workers.

Less than two weeks ago, on 23 October, Russian authorities unlawfully sentenced 21-year-old Yana Suvorova, administrator of the Telegram channel Melitopol Is Ukraine, to 14 years in a general-regime penal colony on fabricated charges of “espionage,” “organizing a terrorist association and involvement in it” and “act of terrorism committed by a group of persons upon prior conspiracy or by an organized group.” Yana had been unlawfully detained in occupied Melitopol in August 2023 at the age of 19, along with other administrators of the Telegram channels RIA Melitopol and Melitopol Is Ukraine. At that time, Russian occupiers hacked the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian news outlet RIA Melitopol, which continued to courageously operate even after Russian troops had occupied the city of Melitopol.

According to Russian occupiers, Yana Suvorova was found guilty of involvement in a “terrorist group as a web resource administrator” who “edited the posts, managed the subscribers and published pro-Ukrainian content” on the channel. A Russian so-called “court” claimed that Yana Suvorova and “other members of the terrorist group collected data on the location of Russian military and law enforcement officers using the Telegram channel.” According to the Russian so-called “court,” the data were then allegedly used to guide a missile and bomb strike targeting a building in Melitopol, where at that time the occupying offices of the Russian National Guard and FSB were located.

Two months ago, in early September, similarly fabricated charges were brought against two other media workers Heorhiy Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel RIA Melitopol, and Vladyslav Hershon, administrator of the Telegram channel Melitopol is Ukraine. Both were also unlawfully detained by Russian forces in August 2023 in Melitopol. Russian so-called “courts” sentenced Heorhiy Levchenko to 16 years and Vladyslav Hershon to 15 years in a high-security penal colony. Both were “convicted” under the same or similar articles of the Russian Criminal Code as Yana Suvorova.

Russian forces continue to use such fabricated court rulings against journalists, administrators of Melitopol-based pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels to intimidate Ukrainians living in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Especially disturbing is the case of Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Hlukhovska, who was also abducted by Russian forces in August 2023 in Melitopol. She has been held incommunicado for more than two years, and her exact location remains unknown. Following her abduction, Anastasiia was reportedly tortured in a basement in Melitopol and later transferred to pre-trial detention facilities in Russia. Although the Russian occupiers themselves released a video showing her being taken from her apartment in handcuffs, they officially deny holding her or pressing any charges.

These cases are a clear example of the systematic suppression of independent Ukrainian media in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. At least 26 Ukrainian media workers and one media professional-turned-soldier remain in Russian captivity.

We call on all Member States to support efforts towards the immediate release of Yana Suvorova, Heorhiy Levchenko, Vladyslav Hershon, Anastasiia Hlukhovska and other media workers unlawfully detained by Russia.

Mr. Chair,

In recent months, Russia has intensified its drone attacks against civilians in Ukraine, including media workers.

On 23 October, a Russian drone directly struck a civilian vehicle at a gas station in Kramatorsk, the Donetsk region, carrying journalists from the Ukrainian international channel Freedom TV. The attack killed journalist Olena Hubanova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin, and severely injured journalist Oleksandr Kolychev. The crew had been filming the aftermath of an earlier Russian strike on the same gas station. Both Olena and Yevhen were natives of the Donetsk region. Since the very first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, they had been reporting on the situation in the region.

One month ago, on 3 October, a direct Russian drone strike killed French photojournalist Antoni Lallican and injured his Ukrainian colleague Heorhii Ivanchenko.

At least 124 Ukrainian journalists have been killed since 2014, when Russia started its war against Ukraine. The fate of many others remains unknown. These are not accidents or mistakes, but a deliberate Russian strategy to silence all independent voices reporting about Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine.

Russian barbaric war tactics also include attacks on Ukraine’s information and media infrastructure. Last week, on 29 October, Russian forces struck a TV tower in the center of Chernihiv, causing significant structural damage. The day before, on 28 October, a Russian FPV drone strike damaged the editorial office of the Pivdenna Zorya newspaper in Nikopol, the Dnipropetrovsk region. A few days earlier, on 23 October, a Russian Shahed drone hit the office of the Gordon newspaper in Kyiv, shattering windows and rendering the premises unusable.

Mr. Chair,

The world must not remain silent when Russia tortures and kills journalists. We call on all UN Member States and wider international community to condemn the crimes committed by the Russian Federation against journalists and other media workers in Ukraine.

We must act together to stop these crimes against media professionals who risk their lives for the truth and protect our right to know it.

Russia must be held accountable for abducting, torturing and killing journalists. All Ukrainian media workers still held in Russian captivity must be released and allowed to return home.

I thank you.