Ukraine has risen 18 positions in the press freedom ranking compiled by Reporters Without Borders over the year. The country now ranks 61st out of 180, compared to 79th a year ago.
The report calls such a jump one of the "surprises of the ranking."
It is claimed that Ukraine's rise in the ranking was due to "improvements in both the security situation (fewer journalists killed) and the political situation."
"Although the rule of law has not been ensured throughout the country since the Russian invasion, which prevented the Ukrainian authorities from guaranteeing press freedom in the occupied territories, political interference in free Ukraine has decreased. This kind of pressure is limited by the fact that it is condemned by the media," the report says.
The top three leaders in terms of press freedom are Norway (for eight years in a row), Denmark and Sweden. The outsiders are Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea.
Russia ranks 162nd in the ranking: the report states that the state "continues its crusade against independent journalism, and more than 1,500 journalists have fled abroad since the invasion of Ukraine."
In general, Reporters Without Borders has documented an alarming situation with press freedom in the world: it is being threatened by the very people who are supposed to guarantee it - the political authorities.
"More and more governments and political authorities are failing to fulfill their role as guarantors of the best possible environment for journalism and the public's right to reliable, independent and diverse news and information. RSF sees a worrying decline in support for and respect for media autonomy and increasing pressure from the state or other political actors," the document says.
