Funding Freeze Leaves 26% of Ukrainian Regional Media Working Without Pay
A new study by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) has revealed that 26% of Ukrainian regional media outlets are operating without salaries, highlighting a growing crisis in the industry amid halted U.S. funding and ongoing war-related challenges.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the study paints a stark picture of financial instability. Nearly half of the surveyed newsrooms estimate their ability to operate without external aid at just six months, while 41% reported survival capacity of up to six months, 24.1% up to three months, and 16.9% just one month.
The findings point to the deep impact of the recent freeze in USAID funding. As of January 2025, one-third of regional outlets had received support from the agency. Its sudden halt led to unpaid wages, mounting debts to printing houses—up to $2,300 in some cases—and unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, with one outlet reporting losses of $14,000.
Frontline media were hit hardest. “If Ukrainian media disappear, Russian propaganda takes their place,” said Tetiana Velyka, editor of Holos Huliaypillya in Zaporizhzhia region. “This is not just about editorial survival—it’s about information security.”
With only 15% of regional newsrooms currently receiving grant support, many have turned to drastic cost-cutting: 46.8% reduced salaries, over 40% plan staff cuts, and more than a third have scaled back reporting and abandoned planned projects.
“We presented to the European Union the criticality of supporting local media. We brought to the European Commission and the European External Action Service the information that we critically need financial support for Ukrainian media, especially in the frontline regions,” emphasized Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Andriy Najos.
As The Gaze previously reported, the European Union, together with its member states Sweden and Germany, will provide 44 million euros to support civil society in Ukraine.