Blocking of Ukrainian media in Hungary a dangerous precedent – National TV Council
The National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine has described Hungary's decision to block a number of Ukrainian media outlets as a serious violation of the right to information and a dangerous precedent for the European media space
The Council said this in a statement seen by Ukrinform.
The Council noted that on September 29, the Hungarian government blocked access for its citizens to 12 Ukrainian media outlets, including leading independent outlets TSN.ua, Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, NV.ua, LB.ua, and European Pravda.
"The National Council views this decision as a serious violation of the right to information and a dangerous precedent for the European media space," the statement said.
The Hungarian authorities described their action as a "reciprocal response" after the Security Service of Ukraine blocked 15 foreign platforms earlier in September for spreading Russian disinformation. The platforms blocked in Ukraine included Hungarian-language News Front, Bal-Rad, Demokrata, Origo, Romanian-language outlets Pravda Romania, Flux24, Moldovan-language site Sputnik, and others, which systematically propagated Russian narratives: false claims about Ukrainians, attempts to discredit international support, undermining trust in Euro-Atlantic institutions, and justifying violations of sanctions against Russia.
"Ukraine blocks specific platforms that undermine the country's defense capabilities in wartime. We do this openly, with the possibility of judicial appeal, following proper procedures. Russia's information war is part of its total war against our statehood, and protecting the information space is a matter of national security," the National Council said.
The Council also recalled that Ukrainska Pravda was founded by journalist Georgiy Gongadze, whose murder became a tragic symbol of the fight for press freedom; Hromadske is a civil society project born during the Revolution of Dignity; and TSN.ua is a public broadcaster that critically reports on Ukrainian authorities, conducts journalistic investigations, as do the other Ukrainian outlets blocked by Hungary.
According to Hungary, Ukrainian media were blocked partly for critical reporting on private foundations. "When a state uses media-blocking mechanisms not to protect against wartime propaganda but as a response to critical journalism about non-governmental structures, this exceeds any acceptable regulatory practice," the Council said, while affirming Ukraine's right to block platforms used as instruments of information aggression.
"Russia conducts a hybrid war where disinformation, manipulation, and undermining trust in state institutions are part of a strategy to destroy Ukrainian statehood. Countering this is a matter of national security, and Ukraine acts within international law, ensuring procedural guarantees and judicial appeal options," the Council added.
At the same time, the regulator stressed that even in wartime, Ukraine does not restrict press freedom. Critical media continue to operate, investigate corruption at all levels of government, and ask authorities the hardest questions.
"The Ukrainian media regulator calls on the European regulatory community to clearly distinguish between protection against an aggressor state's propaganda and political censorship. The National Council is preparing a letter to the Chair of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA), Ms. Stephanie Comey, requesting that international institutions assess the situation in terms of citizens' right to access diverse information sources," the statement said.
The Council also noted that Ukrainian journalists work under fire, risk their lives on the frontlines, and die carrying out their professional duties.
"Blocking their content by an EU member state under contrived pretexts is not just a diplomatic incident – it is a principled question of whether Europe can distinguish journalism from propaganda, protection from censorship, principles from political expediency. Ukraine will defend its media's right to an international presence as consistently as it protects its information space from Russian disinformation," the Council said.
Hungary earlier blocked several Ukrainian media outlets in response to Ukraine's ban on a number of pro-Russian Hungarian publications.
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