Statement

by the Delegation of Ukraine 

at the General Debate
of the 48^th session of the Committee on Information

(27 April 2026)

Mr. Chair,

The Delegation of Ukraine aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to make the following remarks in its national capacity.

We commend the Department of Global Communications for its work in upholding information integrity in today’s complex information environment.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues to be accompanied by a systematic campaign of disinformation, censorship and violence against journalists and media workers.

Justifying its war of aggression, Russia is also attempting to blur the line between journalism and war propaganda. Russian authorities rely on a consistent set of narratives designed to obscure the unlawful nature of civilian detentions in an attempt to legitimize arbitrary and abusive actions. They label their propagandists as “journalists,” while persecuting genuine journalists as “terrorists,” “extremists, “saboteurs“ or “partisan collaborators“ with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, law enforcement, security services or other state bodies. This reframing allows Russia to present its detention campaign as a lawful counterterrorism or security operation rather than a systematic effort to suppress pro-Ukrainian sentiment, dismantle community resilience and consolidate control over Ukrainian territory.

Allow me to highlight several cases illustrating the systematic nature of these repressions.

Among those illegally detained by Russia are journalists and media workers from the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol: Yana Suvorova, Heorhiy Levchenko, Vladyslav Hershon, Oleksandr Malyshev, Yevhen Ilchenko, Maksym Rupchov, Anastasiia Hlukhovska and Iryna Levchenko.

Many of them were abducted in August 2023 for reporting on life under occupation and ensuring access to truthful information. They now face fabricated charges such as “terrorism,” “espionage” or “sabotage” and remain in illegal detention or have been sentenced to long prison terms.

Iryna Levchenko, a retired Melitopol-based journalist, was abducted together with her husband in early May 2023. She remains in illegal detention, while the fate of her husband remains unknown.

Russia’s repression also extends beyond mainland Ukraine. In temporarily occupied Crimea, journalists Iryna Danylovych and Vilen Temeryanov have been illegally detained since 2022 on fabricated charges of alleged involvement in “terrorism” and related offences.

In 2024, Crimean Tatar journalists Rustem Osmanov and Aziz Azizov were illegally detained on fabricated charges of alleged involvement in a terrorist organization.

In the Kherson region, journalist and editor Hennadiy Osmak was abducted and is being illegally prosecuted on fabricated charges.

These cases are not isolated — they are part of a deliberate policy to silence independent voices in Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. By removing individuals from public view and denying all information about their status, Russian authorities create the conditions in which subsequent crimes can be committed without scrutiny.

As of today, at least 26 Ukrainian media workers and one media professional turned combatant remain in Russian captivity with little known about their health conditions or whereabouts.

Distinguished delegates,

Russia does not stop at illegally detaining journalists — it kills them. Since the start of its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has killed at least 147 media representatives.

On 7 April this year, a Russian drone strike on the city of Pryluky, Chernihiv region, gravely injured journalist Yana Shkarlat, who sustained burns to 65 per cent of her body. Doctors in Germany fought to save Yana’s life, but she succumbed to her injuries two weeks later.

Thus, Russia’s policy of killing media workers and targeting infrastructure in Ukraine aims to silence independent reporting and conceal its crimes.

Mr. Chair,

We call on all Member States to:

— demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Ukrainian media workers illegally detained by Russia;

— condemn the systematic targeting of journalists;

— strengthen efforts to counter disinformation campaigns and Russia’s propaganda used to justify aggression and war crimes.

Accountability is key. Without it, these crimes will continue.

I thank you.