The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted, with 106 votes, a resolution titled “Growing Threats to Media Pluralism and the Independence of the Media”, which acknowledges Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian journalists and calls for the immediate release of imprisoned media professionals, as reported by Yevhenia Kravchuk, deputy chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy and chair of PACE’s Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society, in a Facebook post.

The document states that at least 26 Ukrainian journalists remain unlawfully detained by Russia on fabricated charges and under conditions amounting to torture. PACE separately mentioned Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who was tortured to death in Russian custody.

Moreover, the Assembly pointed out Russia’s systemic efforts to dismantle independent media in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, such as taking over newsrooms and the persecution of local media workers.

“This effectively amounts to Russia creating an artificial ‘news desert,'” Yevhenia Kravchuk said.

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The resolution also addresses fighting information-related threats from Russia. PACE stressed that suspending the broadcasts of Kremlin-linked propaganda networks in EU states was a legitimate step to defend media pluralism rather than restrict it, provided it is in line with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation said that the adoption of this document marked a significant step for media landscape security across Europe.

“Media freedom and pluralism aren’t just about journalism. They’re a fundamental condition for democracy to function: citizens need access to a variety of independent, reliable sources of information. And for Ukraine, this is a matter of security and responsibility at the same time. Russia is trying not only to exterminate journalists and newsrooms, but to undermine the people’s very right to receive truthful information. What matters is that these crimes, and the concrete steps needed to counter them, are now clearly recorded in a PACE resolution,” the official stressed.

PACE called on member states to:

  • introduce a legal requirement for national media regulatory authorities to regulate and monitor media pluralism in the audiovisual sector;
  • ensure the public availability and accessibility of accurate, up-to-date data concerning direct and beneficial ownership of the media, as well as other interests that influence the strategic decision making of the media in question or its editorial line;
  • assess the existence of media ownership rules in their national legislation and their applicability to new media services and online platforms;
  • establish rules in national legislation with the aim of limiting any potential interference with the editorial independence and operational autonomy of the media, and ensure that oversight is provided by national media regulatory authorities;
  • encourage the development of common practices among European national media regulatory authorities for monitoring the internal pluralism of public service media;
  • provide transparent and non-discriminatory financial support schemes for media sectors in particular for regional, local, hyperlocal and not-for-profit community media, with accompanying safeguards for their independent administration and oversight;
  • adopt measures to protect women journalists and integrate gender-responsive and intersectional safeguards into journalist safety policies, including guidance for law enforcement, protective measures and digital security support;
  • offer protection against transnational repression of journalists;
  • adopt a regulatory approach that balances the rights and interests of artificial intelligence providers and copyright holders so that innovation is not achieved at the expense of creators.

On 1 October 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling for increased political, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Russia to ensure the release of illegally detained Ukrainian journalists.

The resolution draws on the Institute of Mass Information’s list of 26 journalists detained by Russia; IMI was also involved in drafting the resolution. Moreover, on 10 April 2025 IMI representatives took part in PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media sessions, where they called for stepped up political and diplomatic pressure on Russia to achieve the release of Ukrainian journalists.