On September 29, 2025, the Hungarian government blocked access for its citizens to 12 Ukrainian media outlets, including leading independent publications such as TSN.ua, Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, NV.ua, LB.ua, and European Pravda. The National Council regards this decision as a serious violation of the right to information and a dangerous precedent for the European media landscape.
The Hungarian authorities described their decision as a “mirror response” following the Security Service of Ukraine’s move in early September 2025 to block 15 foreign platforms for spreading Russian disinformation.
The resources blocked by Ukraine included Hungarian-language ones such as News Front, Bal-Rad, Demokrata, and Origo; Romanian outlets – Pravda Romania and Flux24; and the Moldovan edition of Sputnik, among others. These resources systematically broadcast narratives of the aggressor state — spreading falsehoods about Ukrainian activities, discrediting international support for Ukraine, undermining trust in Euro-Atlantic institutions, and justifying violations of the sanctions regime against Russia.
The National Council emphasizes that Ukraine blocks specific platforms that actively work to undermine the country’s defence capabilities during wartime. These actions are carried out transparently, with the possibility of judicial appeal and in full compliance with legal procedures. The Russian information war is part of a total war against Ukrainian statehood, and protecting the information space is a matter of national security.
The Ukrainian media outlets blocked by Hungary include: Ukrainska Pravda – a publication founded by journalist Heorhii Gongadze, whose murder became a tragic symbol of the fight for freedom of speech. Hromadske – a civil society project that emerged during the Revolution of Dignity. TSN.ua – a public broadcaster known for its critical coverage of Ukrainian government activities, conducting investigative journalism into various aspects of state institutions and other issues, as do the other Ukrainian media outlets blocked by Hungary. According to Hungary’s official explanation, the Ukrainian media outlets were blocked in part due to their critical reporting on the activities of private foundations. When a state uses blocking mechanisms for foreign media not to protect against wartime propaganda, but as a reaction to critical journalism targeting non-governmental entities, it exceeds the boundaries of acceptable regulatory practices.
The National Council consistently defends Ukraine’s right to block platforms that serve as tools of information aggression. Russia is waging a hybrid war, in which disinformation, manipulation, and the undermining of trust in state institutions are part of a broader strategy to destroy Ukrainian statehood. Countering this is a matter of national security, and Ukraine acts within the framework of international law, ensuring procedural safeguards and the possibility of judicial appeal.
At the same time, the regulator emphasizes that even in wartime conditions, Ukraine does not restrict press freedom. Critical media outlets continue to operate, investigate corruption at all levels of government, and pose the toughest questions to those in power.
The Ukrainian media regulator calls on the European regulatory community to clearly articulate the difference between protecting against propaganda from an aggressor state and political censorship. The National Council is also preparing an official letter to the Chairperson of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), Ms. Stéphanie Comey.
The regulator appeals to international institutions to assess the situation from the standpoint of protecting citizens’ right to access diverse sources of information, and calls on the Hungarian side to reconsider its decision.
Ukrainian journalists work under shelling, risk their lives on the front lines, and die, fulfilling their professional mission. The blocking of their work by an EU member state under fabricated pretexts is not merely a diplomatic incident — it is a fundamental issue about whether Europe still retains the ability to distinguish between journalism and propaganda, protection and censorship, principles and political expediency.
Ukraine will continue to defend the right of its media to have an international presence just as consistently as it protects its information space from Russian disinformation.
