On August 1, The Ukrainian Review, an analytical English-language print and digital publication, presented itself at Ukrinform in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Review is a project of media volunteers who engage international and Ukrainian experts, politicians, and businesspeople to provide the most objective coverage of events in Ukraine and the world.
The presentation was attended by Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Nina Masol, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and Ihor Solovey, Head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. As well as Volodymyr Savchenko, the head of The Ukrainian Review.
I would like to note that this is a great example of public-private partnership. When a great initiative of concerned Ukrainians to cover the activities taking place in Ukraine about Ukraine for a foreign audience found its realization in the publication of such a publication and the creation of a whole infrastructure around this printed publication, – said Ihor Solovey, Head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, at the beginning of the presentation.
Ihor Solovey also noted that the Center for Strategic Communications is doing its best to help the private initiative.
We hope that the plans that Volodymyr (ed. – the head of The Ukrainian Review) will talk about, and believe me, they are very ambitious, will be implemented with the participation of both the private sector and the state. Because telling about Ukraine, about Ukrainians, about our heroic struggle, and conveying it to a foreign audience is a necessary element in the fight against Russian propaganda and ensuring our information security, – added Ihor Solovey.
It also became known that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is actively involved in the creation and distribution of the printed version of the publication.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Taras Shevchenko noted that “information security and dissemination of information about Ukraine, especially to foreign audiences, is a crucial task, especially during a full-scale invasion”.
I have seen the materials in this collection, and I think they reflect both the real picture and the right strategic narratives that Ukraine should be disseminating. It is valuable that the editorial board is independent. The state does not dictate, and no one can say that this is censorship or that this is just a government product. There is a good balance here, and I am sure that such materials are perceived positively by citizens, journalists, and numerous think tanks that study Ukraine, research and make analytics for the future, – said Taras Shevchenko.
Taras Shevchenko also said that during the preparation for the Berlin Recovery Conference, where the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, in particular, had a separate panel on the restoration of cultural heritage, a German-language version of The Ukrainian Review was presented.
From the point of view of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, this is a very valuable, important, timely initiative that we are happy to support, help, and facilitate as much as we can. And we will continue to do so in the future, – added Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Taras Shevchenko.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also noted that “it is important for all of us that Ukraine is heard in the world, especially today, when we are actively fighting Russian propaganda”.
Nina Masol, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine actively cooperates with the publication at the level of Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic missions and is ready to cooperate even more actively in the future.
Nina Masol also added that the third issue of the magazine featured an interview with Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinos about Ukraine’s activities in the direction of European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Currently, we are actively working on preparing separate interviews with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as heads of foreign diplomatic missions, which are scheduled for publication in the next fourth issue of The Ukrainian Review. I would like to emphasize once again the importance of objective coverage of events, informing the public, Ukrainians abroad, and the media about developments in Ukraine. All of this is an important part of our joint work in the information sphere, – said Nina Masol.
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine plans to introduce active work with the publication, in particular in the context of work abroad.
Ihor Solovey also spoke about the conditions in which the preparation for previous issues of the publication took place:
During the preparation of several previous issues, when we were in contact with the team, we witnessed how the preparation was carried out in difficult conditions of the bombing of Odesa. Because the whole team is basically in Odesa, in these conditions of no electricity, in conditions of constant air raids, the team continued to work.
Volodymyr Savchenko, the head of The Ukrainian Review, explained that the project’s goal is to tell the world what is happening in Ukraine:
In the spring of 2022, my friends and I decided to take the initiative and help Ukraine in its information resistance. We realized that many of our foreign friends and partners read about the war in Ukraine from many global resources – European and Arab. We created a website and developed the resource, but the enemy carried out several hacker attacks and our resource was lost in the Google search engine. We realized that our voice would not be heard, so we came up with the idea to create a printed magazine.
The project now has a department that deals with communications with Ukrainians abroad: there are representatives of The Ukrainian Review in more than 20 countries in Europe and America who help communicate with local politicians and the business establishment. Thanks to the support of the Mexican government, the magazine is also working on a Spanish-language version. The publication also cooperates fruitfully with the European Business Association and now has a partnership with the Ukrainian National Institute of Memory.
According to Volodymyr Savchenko, the head of The Ukrainian Review, “the purpose of this project is to tell the world about what is happening around Ukraine through the eyes of Ukrainians. And, of course, to counteract the enemy’s information and psychological operations that we see in Europe and around the world”.
