Stories about Ukraine
Court in Russia-occupied Crimea sentences freelance journalist to six years in prison
Vladyslav Yesypenko was detained in Crimea in March 2021 on suspicion of collecting information for Ukrainian intelligence, charges the journalist has denied. While in detention, has reportedly endured torture.
From Kosovo 1999 to Russia 2021: The ‘cheapfake’ photo trend fuelling dangerous propaganda
"It is important to raise awareness of the widespread use of cheapfake images and to acknowledge that some governments use the practice to influence people's opinions."
Belarusian cyberactivists claim railway system hack to protest Russian troop movements
The hacker collective said it would be prepared to hand over encryption keys if 50 Belarusian political prisoners were released and the presence of Russian troops in Belarus was “prevented.”
New report highlights ongoing pressure on Ukrainian activists and rights defenders
In the first quarter of 2021, physical attacks, destruction or damage to activists’ property, and attempted intimidation of human rights defenders were the most common, in addition to digital threats.
Facebook removes Ukrainian pro-government and opposition networks for ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour’
Two different networks combined fake and authentic Facebook accounts and pages to push a mix of legitimate and manipulative content, COVID-19 satire, and political memes to Ukrainian audiences.
European Court backs Ukrainian journalist's right to phone data privacy from the state
Natalia Sedletska has been waging a three-year battle to protect her phone data from being seized by Ukrainian prosecutors investigating a state secrets leak that occurred almost four years ago.
Security concerns and legal ambiguities threaten the future of Ukraine's ‘State in a Smartphone’
On the anniversary of its launch, the revolutionary e-government app Diia boasts 6 million users, but seems to fall short when it comes to security standards and privacy.
Who is selling Ukrainians’ personal data online and for what purposes?
A trove of Ukrainians'' personal data available online as a consequence of leaks or illegal sale creates ripe conditions for targeted dissemination of malicious content ahead of October 25 local elections.
With elections just days away, Ukraine faces disinformation, cyber attacks and further Russian interference
Ukraine may be home to “the most globally advanced case of computational propaganda.” How will this affect the presidential election?
Attack by municipal guards signals rising threats against journalists in Ukraine
Municipal Guards for the city of Odessa attacked a group of journalists with teargas and rubber batons.
What's happened to digital rights over the past seven years? 300 editions of the Netizen Report will tell you
This week, we're looking back at seven years of covering global digital rights news in celebration of our 300th edition!
The Russian State Media: Champion of Internet Freedom?
With millions of Ukrainians now at risk of losing their beloved online services, Russia's state media did what it often does in unexpected geopolitical situations: it suddenly changed sides.
Ukraine Sanctions VKontakte, Other Russian Social Media Websites
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed an order instructing the country's Internet providers to block several major Russian social media websites.
Ukraine Will Blacklist Websites That ‘Undermine Ukrainian Sovereignty’
The list, like Ukraine's new Information Security Doctrine, is directed at countering the dissemination of pro-separatist and pro-Russian information.
Ukrainian Social Media Users Get Five Years in Prison For ‘Supporting Separatism’
The two men were sentenced to five years in prison by a Sloviansk city court for threatening the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Internet Freedom Declines in Russia and Ukraine, Improves in Belarus
Russia, Belarus and the Central Asian states were all rated "not free" in Freedom House's 2016 "Freedom on the Web" report.
Ukrainian Activists Leak Personal Information of Thousands of War Reporters in the Donbas
The international journalist community reacted with consternation and anger to a leaked database of reporters accredited with the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" published by Ukrainian activists.
Ukrainian Court Equates Social Network Profile With Mainstream Media
The social media pages containing "calls to overthrow authorities" were determined by the court to be "mass media" because they were public and accessible to an unlimited number of people.
Russian Social Network VK Claims to Protect Users From Warrantless Surveillance
VKontakte's Ukrainian spokesperson says the social network abhors censorship and only shares user data with secret services when presented with court orders. The website's turbulent history paints a different picture.
New Ukrainian Draft Bill Seeks Extrajudicial Blocking for Websites Violating Copyright
A new bill in the Ukrainian parliament wants to replace the common pre-court notice and takedown procedure for copyright violations online with a faster blocking mechanism bypassing the courts.
