The Ukrainian Review offers a selection of what European, Asian, African, and other media wrote about Ukraine at the end of June 2024, including the Ukraine news war. This will help to understand the portrait of Ukraine in the news and, accordingly, in these countries’ information spaces.
Also, we can review whether the rhetoric of the foreign media has changed compared to the beginning of June. The Ukrainian Review wrote an overview of the news that foreign media wrote about Ukraine at the beginning of June.
No mention of the war in Ukraine, but Ukrainian traditions: African media
Africanews – a South African media outlet with 4.3 million visitors over the past two months.
The media does not cover the military events in Ukraine and the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukraine at all.
But at the end of June, Africanews wrote that the war could not stop Ukrainian traditions. The media published a video from the celebration of the Ukrainian holiday of Ivan Kupala, during which everyone dressed up in traditional clothes, danced, and jumped over the fire.
Africanews also reported that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and current Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. They are responsible for war crimes in the form of attacks on civilian objects and causing excessive casual harm to civilians.
However, the media notes that “the USA, Ukraine and Israel, Russia are not members of the court and refuse to hand over the suspects.”
Belarus defends its border with Ukraine: European media
Serbian daily newspaper Politika has had 19.6 million visitors over the past two months.
The media writes about Russia’s military successes on the battlefield in Ukraine (in particular, ignoring the news about Ukraine’s successes).
Politika also writes that Belarus is strengthening the protection of its border with Ukraine after a Ukrainian quadcopter drone illegally crossed its territory.
Czech TV channel ČT24 has had 20.5 million visitors to its website over the past two months.
The media writes that Ukraine is signing security agreements (for example, with the Czech Republic itself or with the EU) and that the first batch of ammunition arrived in Ukraine from the Czech initiative.
Czech TV also reported the issuance of an arrest warrant for Shoigu and Gerasimov, but it explained what this meant and supplemented the news with information about the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
Sit on two chairs: Chinese media
Chinese media outlet CGTN which has 28.3 million visitors over two months.
The media published an article about the consequences of the Russian attack on Ukraine, in particular about 4 dead. However, there is no more detailed information (at least, such as the city’s name).
In another article, CGTN writes the following: “While China invested more than $1 trillion in the most important diplomatic and development initiative of the 21st century, the US was busy financing wars such as the Russo-Ukrainian and Israeli wars.”
Another media outlet, People’s Daily, has had 1.3 million visitors over the past two months.
The media wrote about the signing of the security agreement between Ukraine and the EU about the training of 52,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the EU.
In another article, People’s Daily quotes a representative of China’s defence department regarding the accusation of the USA and some Western countries “of shifting the blame for the crisis in Ukraine.”
Reports and assessment of the situation in Ukraine: USA media
USA Today has 480 million visitors over two months.
The media published an article about the fact that “Ukraine is protecting the nation from the Russian invasion”, about the security agreement between Ukraine and the USA, that “life on the front lines of Ukraine is “worse than hell” with the Russian offensive.”
Information agency Reuters has had 249 million visitors over the past two months.
The agency writes about Ukraine’s signing security agreements with the EU, Lithuania, and Estonia, an analysis of “why the appearance of the F-16 will not quickly change the fate of Ukraine in the war with Russia,” and the fact that Ukrainian troops pushed the Russian ones out of part of Chasovyi Yar, a key city in the east of the country.
No mention of the war: Brazilian media
State information agency Agencia Brazil has had 22 million visitors over the past two months.
The media does not write about the war in Ukraine. However, it publishes news about Russia. For example, about the agreement between North Korea and Russia or that a Ukrainian attack caused a fire at a Russian oil terminal.
Newspaper Correio Braziliense has had 83 million visitors over two months.
The media never writes about the hostilities or the consequences of the Russian strikes on Ukraine. Instead, it presents news from a position of favouring Russia. For example, that Russia recalled the US ambassador after the terrorist attack on Ukrainians, what happened to the Wagner Group a year after the rebellion against the Kremlin, or that Russia threatened the US after the bombing of Crimea.
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An analysis of how foreign media outlets cover Ukraine news Ukrainian-Russian news of the war demonstrates the focus of these countries and their political commitment. One is openly pro-Russian, one is trying to be neutral, and one is showing the truth.
Anya Ostymchuk
