Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Ambassador Jan Braathu, who is visiting Ukraine. Special Representative of the Chairmanship — OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Ambassador Petr Mareš, also participated in the event.

Mariana Betsa stressed the horrific crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian journalists, as well as against freedom of speech and freedom of the media amid the ongoing full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Special attention was given to joint efforts aimed at the immediate and unconditional release of all Ukrainian journalists unlawfully held by Russia.

"Russia is pursuing a deliberate, systematic state policy of destroying the truth about its crimes against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, and is spreading disinformation and propaganda on a massive scale. The aggressor state persecutes, tortures and kills Ukrainian journalists. One of the most egregious crimes was the death in Russian captivity of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna," the Deputy Minister stressed.

Mariana Betsa called on OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu to take all possible measures within his mandate to document Russian crimes against journalists and freedom of speech, facilitate Russia's accountability, and secure the earliest possible release from Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine of Ukrainian journalists and other media workers unlawfully held captive by Russia.

The Deputy Minister expressed unwavering support for the mandate of the RFoM as the leading autonomous institution in the field of media freedom and journalist protection in the OSCE region, and thanked Jan Braathu for his principled stance grounded in strict adherence to OSCE principles and commitments, international law, and consistent condemnation of the crimes of the aggressor state.