Ukraine - May 2024

A limited number of Ukrainian journalists were accredited and allowed access to the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament, on 5 May, marking the first time press has been allowed to cover parliamentary sessions since February 2022. Access to Parliament on the basis of security was restricted in the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion. Numerous restrictions remain in place: only 20 to 30 journalists will be accredited, down from 4,000 before the war; direct broadcasts and photographs are still prohibited, and journalistic access will be limited to a press centre. Media freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, Reporters without Borders

Research published in the journal JAMA Health Forum in May assessing the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the country’s health infrastructure has found ‘profound devastation’ and a decline in the provision of all non-emergency healthcare services. The decline in routine and preventative services, such as gynaecological treatments and cancer screenings, is likely to have significant downstream effects on public health in the country. The situation in the country has been especially exacerbated by the Russian military’s deliberate targeting of healthcare facilities throughout the conflict, in violation of the laws of war.

Sources: JAMA Health Forum