‘The information war for truth’: Ukraine’s National Security Council is blocking popular (pro-Russian) news outlets. What does this mean for freedom of speech?

Since early 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has regularly resorted to sanctioning his domestic opponents. By law, both Ukraine's president and National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) have the right to impose sanctions -- and they've used it to target opposition-leaning media outlets. The television channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, and ZIK came under sanctions back in February, and in August, sanctions were imposed on Igor Guzhva, the founder and editor-in-chief of the news site Strana. All of these media outlets have a reputation for being "pro-Russian" and for leveling criticism against Zelensky, particularly for his supposed refusal to reconcile with the separatist-held territories in eastern Ukraine, alleged infringements on the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, and alleged support for nationalists. In turn, the Ukrainian authorities maintain that they're imposing sanctions in the name of protecting national security and accuse these media outlets of promoting the "Kremlin's agenda." At the same time, the opacity of the decision making leaves room for the opposition to argue that Zelensky's government is carrying out attacks on freedom of speech. Journalist Konstantin Skorkin breaks down the controversy for Meduza. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/09/15/the-information-war-for-truth