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The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the Office of the President of Ukraine and leading Ukrainian journalists then agreed to hold talks for the first time over frontline access for the media. Senior presidential press adviser Mykhailo Podolyak and deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar were at the meeting, according to Stanko.

We passed on our proposals, and it seemed that we were heard, Stanko said, noting that her accreditation was returned ten days later. But a few months later, she added, the Ukrainian military introduced the system of coloured access zones.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said the latest restrictions have been dictated not only by military necessity, but are also a response to a demand for greater cooperation from journalists themselves, including at the November meeting.

Access zones are a standard approach and are reviewed on a weekly basis, according to defence officials. But in practice, it is difficult for journalists to determine which settlement or military unit they can visit, and which are closed, as communication of this information isnt always clear, says Stanko.

Every time, you need to call them and find out if this or that place is in the red zone, she said.

But what Stanko finds really outrageous is the fact that the red zones arent actually closed to everyone.

We hear from the military that some representatives of the United News Marathon are allowed into the red zones, she complained.

Against a background of criticism over preferential treatment, Ukraines Ministry of Culture confirmed last month that it asked the defence ministry to give combat zone access to journalists working for the Marathon.

Implementing a united information policy is a priority for national security, the Ministry of Culture said at the time.

Ukrainian journalists are also dealing with a new balance of power as a result of the Russian invasion. The state now has much more control over the countrys media environment from keeping certain channels off air to launching new ones.

The cornerstone of the governments media policy is the United News Marathon, launched on the very first day of the Russian invasion, 24 February 2022. The National Security and Defence Council decided it must be broadcast 24/7 on Ukrainian TV so the major channels take shifts, each showing it for six-hour stints throughout the day.

Over the past year, the Marathons popularity has faded, though many still view it as a trustworthy source.

This is a source of information that is, in part, [meant] to verify what is actually happening, culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said last month. When people read unchecked information on Telegram, then the first thing they do is turn on the Marathon, to find out if its true.

The rest is here:
How Ukraines journalists are challenging state control of the media - openDemocracy