Ukrainian Media Under Siege

By Volodymyr Kish

The Ukrainian Journalists Association of North America, of which I am a member, staged a timely panel discussion on Sunday, September 12 on the subject of the increasingly precarious state of press freedom in Ukraine under the Yanukovych regime. 

It has become evident since President Yanukovych returned to power that he has little intention of fulfilling any of the promises and commitments he made during his slickly run Presidential campaign about running a stable, competent government for all Ukrainians, one committed to reform, democracy and European vision and values.  Instead, it is clear that what he is really trying to do is implement the Putin model of centralized and absolute power within Ukraine.  As one of the panellists, Josef Sirka noted, his is more a government of occupation than one interested in the well-being of the Ukrainian population.  It is also clear that the blueprint for what Yanukovych is implementing was likely prepared not in Kyiv or even Donetsk, but in the dark cellars of the Kremlin.

As another panellist, local MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj outlined quite clearly that Yanukovych and his administration have mounted a well-planned attack on the four key pillars that underpin Ukraine’s attempt to establish itself as a modern, free, independent and democratic nation state.  First is the undermining of the administrative, governmental and judicial structures of the state itself by concentrating all power in the hands of a powerful elite centred on the Donetsk clan of oligarchs and power brokers.  Second is the erosion of Ukraine’s national identity by marginalizing the Ukrainian language and distorting the true history of Ukraine in favour of a Russian interpretation.  Third is the dismantling of a true free enterprise system, by eliminating the base of small and medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs, and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few powerful and monopolistic oligarchs.  Lastly is the dilution of democratic rights by the rigging of the election laws and processes to favour his Regions Party, and the use of the government’s clout and authority to either intimidate or eliminate any opposition.

Regardless of what we may think of Yanukovych’s personal limitations, as the panel moderator Jurij Klufas pointed out, his actions are well-planned out and his regime is particularly disciplined and effective in implementing their Moscow inspired strategy.

One of the key victims of this strategy is the Ukrainian media.  Most of the major television stations and networks have come under the control of Yanukovych’s oligarchic friends and supporters and have become sycophantic supporters of him and his government.  Independent or opposition media outlets have come under steep attack from regulatory bodies and many have been forced to shut down or have been intimidated into acquiescence.  There have been numerous reports of journalists being beaten and intimidated.  The state’s secret service, the SBU, has been reportedly harassing and interrogating Ukrainian activists that dare to criticize the government’s policies or actions.

Even more disturbing was the disappearance last month of the editor of an opposition newspaper in Kharkiv, Vasyl Klymentyev.  Shortly afterward, Ukraine’s Interior Minister admitted that local law enforcement officials may have been involved and speculation is that he has been murdered.

It is evident that the government has launched an all-out effort to try and control the media and eliminate the opposition the way Putin has succeeded in Russia.  As another panel member, radio host Oksana Sokolyk noted, this is reminiscent of what transpired in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and the methods of state control of free thought depicted in Ray Bradbury’s dystopian futuristic political novel Fahrenheit 451.

As precarious as the situation may seem, there is hope.  As I have commented a number of times in previous columns, Yanukovyich is no Putin.  Further, the Ukrainian people are not likely to accept the assaults on their freedoms docilely like the Russians have done.  As panellist Stefan Genyk-Berezovsky stated eloquently in his remarks, the younger generations of Ukrainians showed what they were made of on the Maidan during the Orange Revolution, and if pressed any further, he has no doubts that a new Maidan will arise to show Yanukovych that he will be no more successful this time around than he was the last.