IMI records 7 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in June

The Institute of Mass Information experts recorded 7 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in June, according to the IMI’s monthly monitoring study “Freedom of Speech Barometer”.

In June, the IMI recorded two crimes against the media and journalists that were committed by Russia. These included an assassination attempt against a journalist and a newspaper going out of print due to the war.

One media professional died in June: 

• Vladyslav Voloboyev, drafted journalist with the Kryvyi Rih city newspaper Pulse. Died in a Russian strike on a military training ground on June 1. He was only five weeks into his training at the moment of his death. He worked with Pulse for five years.

Freedom of speech in Ukraine in June 2025

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported thwarting an attempt on the life of media personality Dmytro Gordon by Russia’s FSB, which set a reward of 400 thousand US dollars for the crime. According to the SBU, the mission was entrusted to an undercover agent: a Russian citizen hailing from the North Caucasus who was to create agent groups in Kyiv. The persons of interest stalked Gordon, having disguised their cars as taxis and equipped them with hidden video recorders. "As per the FSB's plan, the assassin was supposed to attack the target with a firearm and quickly flee the scene, get rid of the weapon, and 'lay low.' The resident agent was looking to purchase a motorcycle for this purpose," the SBU reported.

All members of the group and the resident agent were detained while preparing for the assassination attempt. They were notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (“Acts of terrorism”). They are in custody, facing up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The Chernivtsi oblast print weekly Vyzhnytski Obriyi temporarily went out of print. The newspaper’s director Maryna Kysylytsia says the print issues of the newspaper had to be suspended due to financial difficulties caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The IMI also recorded five freedom of speech violations unrelated to Russia’s war on Ukraine. These included obstruction of reporting, restricting access to public information, as well as indirect and legal pressure.

Bihus.Info reported pressure by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko. The media outlet has appealed to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech and to the Ethics Committee over the official’s statements and actions. Following the release of a Bihus.Info investigation into European Solidarity MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, the official reached out to the project's team demanding answers regarding the media outlet's budget, its donors, and the salaries of its employees. Honcharenko accused the media outlet of using European funding to produce stories that violate journalism standards, involve surveillance of other individuals, etc. In the investigation “What’s Wrong with Honcharenko: Money from a Fugitive Billionaire, Switching Sides, and Election Preparation”, Bihus.Info reported on Oleksiy Honcharenko’s vote against the extension of martial law, the funding of the “Honcharenko Centers,” and Honcharenko’s political ambition.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) turned down Radio Liberty’s request for information on the border crossing by lawyer, former the crossing of the Ukrainian border by Andriy Portnov, lawyer and former deputy head of the Viktor Yanukovych administration, before his murder in May 2025. The SBGS said that the requested information was classified and concerned the private life of the person in question.

Zakarpattia-based investigative journalist Olena Mudra reported being targeted by a smear campaign in the media. Several disreputable media outlets published a deceptive article with false information about her sources of income (alleging she works for Russia and Russian money) and her family. Olena believes this campaign was triggered by her investigations into the work of LLC Wind Parks Ukraine in Zakarpattia oblast. She has filed a police statement on obstruction of her lawful reporting and violation of her privacy.

Read the full monitoring study here.

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian non-governmental media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.

The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).