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Ukraine Rises to 55th in 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Ahead of Several G7 Countries
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukraine has improved its position in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 55th out of 180 countries, up seven places over the past year and 50 positions since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
According to the latest index, Ukraine now ranks higher in press freedom than several G7 countries, including Italy, Japan, and the United States.
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The index evaluates countries across five criteria: political, economic, social, cultural, and security conditions. Ukraine showed improvement in the political, social, and cultural categories, Pauline Maufrais, RSF’s head of Ukraine projects, told Suspilne on April 30.
“The media landscape in Ukraine is very resilient. Journalists here continue to investigate what is happening in the country and challenge those in power—and this leads to greater transparency,” said Maufrais.
She noted that recent developments contributing to the improvement include the reopening of parliamentary committee meetings to journalists in the Verkhovna Rada, introduced in January 2026, as well as the creation of a WhatsApp group connecting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with hundreds of Ukrainian journalists as a form of direct communication.
At the same time, Maufrais underlined that, despite gains over the past year, press freedom in Ukraine remains in a “problematic” state, according to Suspilne. She added that RSF has called for an end to the national telethon, arguing that it weakens television pluralism, as well as for improvements to media legislation regarding ownership transparency.
She added that RSF also urges authorities to remove obstacles facing journalists working in frontline regions, including in Kherson and Sumy, “where some military personnel do not allow reporters through without explanations related to security.”
Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that 26 Ukrainian journalists and media workers are being unlawfully held by Russian forces, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed the detention of only one of them.
He made the statement during a roundtable titled “Resilience and Wellbeing of Ukrainian Media Professionals in Wartime,” Ukrinform reported on March 24.
“In 2025, our large team, which focuses on returning Ukrainian citizens—including civilian hostages, prisoners of war, and children—managed to bring back only three Ukrainian journalists,” Lubinets said.
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