Ukrainian Service
Radio Svoboda is a trusted, award-winning outlet with a growing audience in Ukraine that provides comprehensive coverage of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Website visits
(January–December 2023)
Facebook video views
(January–December 2023)
YouTube video views
(January–December 2023)
Instagram video views
(January–December 2023)
About the Service
Launched in 1954, Radio Svoboda provides breaking news from bureaus in Kyiv, Lviv, and the front lines of the war.
According to a 2024 survey commissioned by USAGM, 92% of Radio Svoboda’s audience trusts its coverage, making it one of the most trusted media outlets in Ukraine.
Radio Svoboda’s content in Ukrainian reaches 25.8% of the adult population in Ukraine on a weekly basis.
Reporting from the front lines, Radio Svoboda covers war developments and military issues as well as the human cost of war and life in Russia-occupied territories.
The Service extensively covers political and economic developments in Ukraine, including reporting on official corruption and human rights issues.
Radio Svoboda’s investigative project “Schemes” uncovered corruption in the office of the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, which led to an internal investigation and his resignation.
“Schemes” also conducts wide-ranging investigations into Russian war crimes, uncovering hundreds of newly dug mass graves for the citizen victims of Russia’s assault on Mariupol.
Based on Radio Svoboda’s investigative film List of 31, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine charged the leader of the unrecognized “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) and two other DNR officials with violating the “laws and customs of war” by deporting children from eastern Ukraine to Russia.
Films “Silent Deportation” and “Bring Me Back Home” document the stories of Crimean Tatars expelled from their homes and Ukrainian prisoners deported from Russia, respectively.
Exclusive interviews with former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, incoming Secretary General Mark Rutte, and senior Ukrainian government and military officials are widely cited by major media outlets.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks Ukraine 61st out of 180 countries.
Ukrainian Service Journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko has been wrongfully imprisoned by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) since March 10, 2021, in Russia-occupied Crimea. He was sentenced to a six-year prison term (later reduced to five) on fraudulent charges in Russia-occupied Crimea.
Since the start of the war, media activities in Ukraine have been subject to restrictions.
In August 2023, Radio Svoboda crew escaped injury when its car was shelled in the Donetsk region. In the same month, correspondent Yevheniya Kytayiva and camera operator Hanna Kudriavtseva provided first aid to the Ukrainian military, saving lives.
Service correspondent Dmytro Yevchyn was wounded in shelling in Southern Ukraine in January 2024. He was filming along with a cameraman, Mykyta Isayko, when the attack occurred in Zaporizhzhya region.
Awards
Knight International Journalism Award
Schemes journalist Valeriya Yegoshyna received the Knight International Journalism Award in June 2024 for her “intrepid” investigative work uncovering war crimes, corruption, and a Russian paramilitary force.
Most Influential People
Kyiv Bureau Chief Natalie Sedletska was named among the 100 most influential people of the last decade by a prominent Ukrainian media outlet in May 2024.
Shevchenko Prize
Long-time contributor Vitaliy Portnikov received the national Shevchenko Prize, the most prestigious cultural award in Ukraine, for his journalistic essays in May 2023.
Honor of Profession
Radio Svoboda won Ukrainian national journalistic competition Honor of Profession in the category “Analytics” for its coverage of the military infrastructure in Crimea in June 2023.
Latest Updates
RFE/RL President Capus Meets Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, Discusses Imprisoned Journalist in Crimea
During a meeting on Sunday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and RFE/RL President Stephen Capus, the Ukrainian leader commended RFE/RL’s coverage of the Russian invasion.
RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly Visits Ukraine, Moldova as RFE/RL Expands Efforts to Counter Russian Disinformation
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President and CEO Jamie Fly visited Moldova and Ukraine for meetings with senior officials, civil society groups, and the company’s journalists.
RFE/RL Wins 2022 Online News Association’s Online Journalism Award
RFE/RL has won a prestigious 2022 Online Journalism Award (OJA) for coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Service Director
Maryana Drach
Maryana Drach is the Service Director of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, overseeing the Service’s award-winning coverage of the country’s 2013-2014 Maidan demonstrations, Revolution of Dignity, and developments since. Under her watch, the Service has launched the impactful anti-corruption reporting project “Schemes: Corruption in Details,” as well as multiple-media programming efforts for the residents of Russia-annexed Crimea (Crimea.Realities) and war-torn eastern Ukraine (Donbas.Realities). Drach is a former fellow at the Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (2019-2020). A native of Kyiv, Drach joined the service in 1996, specializing in international affairs. She earned an undergraduate degree in international studies from Roosevelt University and holds a graduate degree in in Public Administration from the Institute of Public Administration and Local Government in Ukraine.
Support Independent Journalism
Join us in advocating for press freedom and supporting RFE/RL journalists who have been unjustly imprisoned.