In 2025, Mykhailo Tkach, investigative journalist and chief of investigations at Ukrainska Pravda, ranked first among Ukraine’s best journalists for the third year in a row, as per the results of the annual survey traditionally conducted by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) on 3–20 December 2025.
The respondents praised Mykhailo Tkach for “consistent releases of high-quality investigations,” “professionalism,” and “unique style.”
This year, the survey was conduncted in a new, open-ended format, with respondents identifying themselves. 135 journalists and media professionals from all regions across Ukraine left responses to the non-anonymous survey.*
Here is the list of Ukraine’s best journalists of 2025, as per IMI’s survey of the media community throughout Ukraine:
- Mykhailo Tkach (Ukrainska Pravda)
- Diana Butsko (hromadske)
- Daryna Kolomiyets (Suspilne)
- Vlasta Lazur (Radio Liberty, Suspilne)
- Yanina Korniyenko (Slidstvo.Info)
- Alina Korzhynska (Suspilne Chernihiv)
- Denys Bihus (Bihus.info)
- Serhiy Nuzhnenko (Radio Liberty)
- Oleksiy Kotsebchuk (Suspilne Chernihiv)
- Inna Vedernikova (ZN,ua)
“On behalf of the Institute of Mass Information, I thank each and every one who spends every day doing what is essential for Ukraine’s stability, freedom, and democracy. Wherever transparency falters, corruption, impunity, and cynicism grow, and these are the very forces that destroy states from within, even when the front line holds. I thank all my colleagues who continue to exercise public oversight, ask questions, check facts, and call a spade a spade despite fatigue, risks, and pressure. And I wish us all for our profession to remain resilient, not compromising on standards even in the most difficult days, and for us to have strength, energy, and inspiration,” said IMI director Oksana Romaniuk.
Other journalists often mentioned by resondents as inspiring and respected were as follows:
- Anna Kalyuzhna (war correspondent);
- Vitaliy Portnikov (journalist, commentator);
- Vitaliy Ulybin (Poltavska Khvylia);
- Mstyslav Chernov (Associated Press journalist, documentarist);
- Sevgil Musaieva (Ukrainska Pravda);
- Tetyana Troshchynska (Suspilne);
- Yuriy Nikolov (Nashi Groshi);
- Anna Babinets (Slidstvo.Info);
- Natalia Nahorna (TSN TV);
- Dmytro Khyliuk (UNIAN);
- Natalia Sedletska (Radio Liberty);
- Ivan Lyubysh-Kyrdey (Reuters cameraman);
- Vladyslav Yesypenko (Radio Liberty).
The IMI survey also revealed some media brands that the professional community considers to be the most influential and producing the highest-quality content. It is worth noting that respondents often singled out fixed editorial teams rather than individuals, suggesting a high level of institutional trust.
The ranking of news outlets that inspire motivation in their colleagues and serve as an example for them included:
- Suspilne: media professionals point to Suspilne a central source of verified information and adherence to standards, especially in the regions.
- Ukrainska Pravda: the media outlet that has remained the flagship of analytics and timely investigations over the years.
- The investigative outlets Slidstvo.Info and Bihus.Info: the community views these projects as key investigation hubs where teamwork is the linchpin of systemic change.
There were many respectful mentions of the teams at Babel, Liga, NV, ZHAR.info, The Ukrainians, 18000, Vikna-Novyny STB, as well as war correspondents with 1+1 TV and Ukraïner. Colleagues also made shout-outs to the courage and professionalism of journalists in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv oblasts and everyone working in news outlets based close to the front line.
Another theme was gratitude to journalists who have switched their voice recorders for weapons or work as media professionals in the army. Namely, colleagues thanked Oleh Petrasiuk (Motorized Rifle Brigade No. 24 press service), Yevhen Solonyna and Oleh Kalashnikov (UAF Land Forces Media Centre) as strong partners in the media environment, providing professional communication from the front line.
Journalists who survived Russian detention, Vladyslav Yesypenko (released in June 2025 after serving a prison term in Crimea on trumped-up charges) and Dmytro Khyliuk (UNIAN correspondent, released in August 2025 after over 3 years of uncertainty in Russian prison), have become symbols of resilience. The community celebrated not just their comeback, but also the way they joined advocacy efforts immediately upon their return. Both journalists have become powerful voices on the international stage, telling the truth about the torture, information vacuum, and inhumane detention conditions endured by Ukrainians imprisoned by Russia.
The journalist community also honored the memory of Viktoria Roshchyna, who died in Russian detention. This year, her name was a reminder of the price Ukrainian journalism pays for the right to tell the truth: not just in sterss and sleepless nights, but also in lives.
Mykhailo Tkach ranked first in IMI’s annual Journalist of the Year survey in 2024 as well. The top ten included both individuals and editorial teams such as Bihus.Info, Radio Liberty, Suspilne Chernihiv, Slidstvo.Info.
In 2023, IMI included a separate question in the survey asking colleagues who inspired them the most: Mykhailo Tkach had the most mentions (12.3%), followed by the Bihus.Info team (5%). Respondents spoke about the role of journalists serving in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the robust work of Kherson journalists amidst that year’s events.
*The sample consists of 135 journalists who took part in a non-anonymous survey: the respondents filling out the questionnaire were identified (they left their personal data, which prevents anonymity and allows us to vet them as belonging to the professional group). In terms of gender, the sample included 82 women (60.7%) and 53 men (39.3%). By locaton, the sample covers all regions across Ukraine, which provides wider territorial coverage and variety of contexts (however, “all regions” being featured in the survey does not imply equal representedness: rather, it emphasises the geographical scope of involvement). The survey was conducted on 3 to 20 December 2025.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a civil society organization specializing in the media, operating since 1996. IMI defends the rights of journalists, studies the media landscape and reports on media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation, and provides media workers with safety equipment for trips to combat areas (since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014).
IMI carries out the only monitoring study of freedom of speech in Ukraine, keeps a list of transparent and responsible online media outlets, and tracks Russia’s media crimes in the war on Ukraine. IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and runs a network of Media Hubs that provide journalists with unfailing support. IMI’s partners include Reporters Without Borders (RSF); the organization is also a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).
