"Ukraine's democracy and freedom of speech are inseparable"

As the editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, Sevgil Musaieva is a staunch defender of free press in the country. Heading one of Ukraine’s largest independent media outlets in Ukraine, she has covered both corruption and the war in Ukraine since the invasion of her native Crimea in 2014. On March 11, she sat down with DW Akademie at the Café Kyiv conference in Berlin. 

DW Akademie: Thank you for taking time for us today. At this critical moment in the war, what challenges do Ukrainian media face? 

Sevgil Musaieva: At the start of the war, Ukrainian media saw incredible challenges – both financial and generally to continue working as journalists.  Understandably there is less freedom of the press than three years ago, but this is somewhat expected due to wartime measures. Yet some of that is also self-censorship. Media workers consistently have to ask themselves, am I a journalist or a Ukrainian citizen? The answer to this affects the role of the journalist. It has also meant that some of our journalists joined the army, some voluntarily. They say that it is not enough to simply cover the war. 

And what can the international development community do to support media in Ukraine? 

Lots of media was supported by USAID, but this has ended. It is therefore getting more and more difficult to work and cover the war, especially more in-depth investigations. We are looking for funding, support from the European side. Our investigative journalism budget is something that Ukrainian media cannot cover from advertising models or donations, because things like corruption investigations are necessary but expensive and can really only be covered by donors. Personally, I want to save our team and maintain our financial model.  

What do you think is lacking in international coverage of the war in Ukraine? 

There is a lack of understanding of the history of Ukraine and the background of the invasion, such as the Budapest Memorandum. We already had a security guarantee that was later violated by Russia. And, for Ukrainians, we want more information from the occupied territories. It is important to know what is happening in the occupied territories, as there is so little information for anyone. We had a journalist who covered the occupied territories, Viktoriia Roshchyna, who was arrested by Russia in 2023. In October, she died in captivity, which was absolutely terrible and devastating. Her father was contacted, but he has not received her body. There are also 28 other journalists still in Russian jails. 

You have been working in media for 20 years. How has media changed in the country during that time? 

Media has become much more independent. When Putin came to power, he monopolized control of Russian media. He saw that power that a free press could have. For Ukrainians, the year 2000 was when Ukrainian independent journalism was expanding. It was then that we began to understand how important free speech is to this country. Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine had some independent media and some media run by oligarchs. We decided at the invasion to be more united and to represent Ukraine as one voice. For the first six months, we did not publish any investigations into corruption. Yet even in times of war, there are some bad guys and there’s still corruption. That’s why we decided to continue investigations, as corruption is important to cover to continue Ukraine’s democratic development. 

What effect has the information war had on Ukrainian media? 

The information war started earlier than 2014. Even living in Crimea in 2000, there was already information warfare. I noticed very early that there was a big difference between coverage from Russia and from Ukraine. When Putin took over media, it was already the beginning of this war. We weren’t ready for the first invasion in 2014 and with it the spread of Russian propaganda in the newly occupied territories. Then, by using terms like “fascism” he was able to invade Ukraine in 2022. Yet today, Europeans are more in danger when it comes to disinformation than even Ukrainians are. 

What do you see as the future of Ukraine after the war? 

First of all, I’m afraid that Ukraine will not exist as an independent state. For me as a journalist, I participated in the Orange Revolution. And now, as chief editor of Ukrainska Pravda for 11 years, I have always been focused on trying to continue the democratic development of Ukraine. War has affected so many people and without democratic values, the country will be completely different – we will not be a part of the European Union or even be a democratic Ukraine. As a journalist, I have to protect what I love. I love this country, the country’s democracy and the values of freedom of speech. These are inseparable. 

Sevgil Musaieva was a panelist with "Witness to Conflict: Independent Media’s Role in War" at Café Kyiv on March 11, 2025, organized by DW Akademie and N-Ost. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.