«Without freedom of speech, there is no truth. Without truth, there is no trust. And without trust — there is no democracy», — these are the words of Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Golden Pen of Freedom laureate (2018), journalist and philosopher of resistance.
Freedom of speech in Ukraine today is not merely a matter of choice.
It is being undermined by waves of hostile disinformation. Ukrainian journalists defend it daily — for them, this work is both a matter of honor and a personal risk.
These days, the Director of the Association I«ndependent Regional Publishers of Ukraine» (AIRPPU), Oksana Brovko, is speaking in Lillehammer, Norway, about how to protect the right to freedom of expression.
Let us recall that WEXFO is taking place here on June 2–3 under the slogan «A Year of Resistance». According to the organizers, this year’s event is «the most important in the forum’s history», as the world faces unprecedented challenges — mounting pressure on democracy, freedom of speech, and the human right to truth.
Oksana Brovko has served on the Forum’s organizing committee for several years. During the main panel discussion, «The Global Freedom of Expression Order Under Attack», she spoke alongside leading global voices such as Irene Khan (UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression) and Emmanuel Hans (founder of the Tonafa Institute).
In her speech, Oksana Brovko shared what it means to defend freedom of speech in a country at war — not in theory, but at the cost of life.
«How can you protect your right to freedom of expression when even basic needs — like safety — are not guaranteed?» — she asked the audience.
One of the strongest examples of the fight for freedom of speech today, she emphasized, is the struggle of Ukraine’s regional media.
«We live with a lot of challenges:
Safety risksFinancial instabilityPsychological challengesIn Ukraine, protecting freedom of speech during war is not theoretical — it’s a matter of daily survival.
Since 2022, journalists have worked under direct threat: newsrooms have been bombed, reporters have been killed or kidnapped, and information infrastructure has been targeted.And yet, the response from Ukrainian media has been incredibly strong. We’ve seen hundreds of local outlets continue to publish even after relocation or losing their revenue. We’ve seen journalists expose war crimes, debunk Russian propaganda, and provide life-saving information to their communities.
Just imagine: you are a chief editor of local media in a small part of Sumy region. Your subscribers evacuated to safer places in Ukraine. So you lost your subscription. Your local businesses — who were your advertisers — closed or relocated as well. Your newsroom is already destroyed by shelling.No revenue. Only propaganda and fakes from Russia, which you have to fight. What is your everyday life?
Every week you put on your bulletproof vest and drive your newspapers to your readers. You have to take off your helmet, otherwise Russian drones will spot it and you’ll become a target.How to be a journalist in Ukraine? It means to be ready to be tortured and killed. As Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschyna — when she went to the occupied territory to report about Russia’s tortures and was brutally killed. They returned her body, without part of it, to hide that she was tortured and killed.
Freedom of speech during war in Ukraine is not just «protected» — it is «defended», often at great personal risk. That defense is a form of democratic resistance»
Ukrainian media prove that even in the most difficult circumstances, journalism can be both an act of resistance and a source of hope for the future.
