Journalists and media organizations, members of the Mediarukh Movement, are shocked and categorically condemn the wave of pressure, slander, and threats received by the independent Ukrainian media outlet Teksty (Texty.org.ua).

On June 6, Texty published a study “Roller Coaster: From Trumpists to Communists. The forces in the U.S. impeding aid to Ukraine and how they do it”. The study analyzes the political, media, and expert environment in the United States, which influences decision-making on further support for Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study contains a list of organizations and people who oppose support for Ukraine in the United States. Teksty did not condemn their right to freedom of expression but merely stated the fact that they oppose support for Ukraine and that the arguments made by many of them are in line with the narratives of Russian propaganda about Ukraine.

After the publication of the study, Teksty faced a huge barrage of hatred, threats, calls to cut off their funding, and various forms of pressure. All this fierce pressure on the Ukrainian research media comes from representatives and supporters of the US Republican Party, which is supposed to defend freedom of speech as a fundamental component of democracy and be a model for other countries. 

• Daniel McAdams, director of the Ron Paul Institute, said that the Ukrainian publication funded by the US government created a hate list of American citizens, which is simply not true. Conservative outlets, far-right and left-wing American activists began to actively disseminate his material, attacking the Texty.org.ua editorial board and the authors of the article on social media, including threatening them with death.
• Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green called the Texty.org.ua publication an “enemies list” and claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was behind the list, which is also untrue. We, Ukrainian journalists, reaffirm Teksty’s reputation as a completely independent publication and reject this accusation. 
• Senator J.D. Vance and U.S. House of Representatives member Matt Gaetz called on U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to send them information about the Ukrainian NGO Texty.org.ua by June 28. They appealed to the House Appropriations Committee to stop supporting Texty.org.ua, which is a direct pressure on freedom of speech and independent media. On Tuesday, June 11, the committee passed the following resolution. We emphasize that Teksty does not receive direct funding from the US budget, but only through agencies that have their own independent financial policy, and attacking them in this way is another completely undemocratic practice.
• Elon Musk, who was also mentioned in the Texty.org.ua study, responded to the call to deprive the media of any donor support and called for the publication to be included in the list of terrorist organizations.
• Thousands of comments with death threats and hatred towards Texty.org.ua are circulating on social network X. 

Such a coordinated attack on independent media undermines the fundamental principles on which a democratic society is based. If someone does not like the materials of journalists, they should express their point of view, refute or deny it. But not to threaten journalists with reprisals, not to call for their inclusion in terrorist lists, not to exert financial pressure to silence them. 

We call on the U.S. Congress and Senate to:

• Stop putting pressure on Texty.org.ua and not use the Ukrainian media for internal American political struggle against the backdrop of the upcoming US elections.
• Show that you really support the principles of freedom of speech and are ready to stand up for independent media and withdraw decisions that may restrict the freedom of expression of the independent Ukrainian press. 
• Conduct your own investigation and determine whether the facts presented in the Texty.org.ua article do prove the spread of theses that are in line with aggressive Kremlin propaganda in the United States, and if so, why. 

Spreading false information, disinformation, and fake news for its own benefit is one of the ways the Russian Federation is attacking Ukraine and Western countries that help to resist Russian aggression. We call on the free, democratic society of the United States of America to strongly support independent journalism that sheds light on how Russia is waging its information wars against democracies around the world, including the United States. 

Millions of Ukrainians have fallen victim to Russia’s aggressive propaganda and genocidal rhetoric, with direct calls for the destruction of our citizens. At this critical time for our country, we highly appreciate the support of the US government and the people who provide Ukraine with financial and military assistance, as the defense of truth and democratic values is our common goal.

The Mediarukh Movement also calls on international organizations, governments, and civil society to increase their support for Ukraine in its struggle for independence. Our joint struggle against tyranny and authoritarianism with our partners should become an example for the whole world. 

For reference: Mediarukh is a community that brings together journalists from leading Ukrainian media, investigative journalists, and experts from media NGOs. Mediarukh Movement was launched on February 5, 2019. The first signatories of the Movement memorandum were the First Channel of the Public Broadcasting Company, Ukrainian Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform news agency, Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Liga.net, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Ukraine”, NV, “Censor.net”, Channel 5, “Ukrainian Week”, Opinion, several regional media, NGOs “Independent Media Council”, “Detector Media”, Institute of Mass Information, Internews Ukraine, Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, Souspilnist Foundation, National Media Association, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, Zmina Human Rights Center. Later, other organizations and individual journalists joined – more than 70 participants in total. On November 16, 2021, representatives of leading media outlets called on journalists to unite in the professional community Mediarukh to counter political and commercial pressure on freedom of speech. The statement was initiated by 29 journalists and experts, their names are available here.