Ukraine loses one of its most trusted sources of news

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine underscores the critical role that Voice of America has played for more than 75 years in ensuring Ukrainians understand America’s story. Its coverage breaks down the policies of successive U.S. administrations, the bipartisan efforts of Congress, and the views of American citizens on Ukraine. At a time when Russian disinformation and Chinese state media are aggressively expanding their presence, VOA’s Ukrainian Service has been one of the few U.S. institutions trusted by Ukrainian audiences across the political spectrum.

During the war, VOA became Ukraine’s most reliable window into Washington. In the months before VOA’s Ukrainian Service was silenced, reporting from Congress alone generated millions of views and hundreds of citations across Ukrainian-language media, by providing essential news about U.S. decision-making regarding Kyiv’s appeals for security assistance. Since the start of the invasion, VOA’s Ukrainian journalists interviewed more than 200 U.S. lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen, and members of all major committees shaping U.S. policy toward Ukraine.

VOA Ukrainian journalist Tatiana Vorozhko interviews Sen. Ted Cruz.

In practice, VOA’s Ukrainian Service functioned as a de facto Washington bureau for many Ukrainian media outlets, explaining U.S. policy from the White House, State Department, Pentagon and Capitol Hill with accuracy and neutrality. Its coverage helped Ukrainians understand not just U.S. decisions, but the democratic debate behind those decisions.

VOA’s live, simultaneously translated coverage of key American political moments proved especially impactful. Press conferences and remarks by President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and senior U.S. envoys such as Steve Witkoff and then National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reached large audiences in real time — bringing unfiltered American voices directly to millions of Ukrainians. This kind of transparent reporting and instant access to Washington news is hard to replicate inside Ukraine.

Before Trump issued his March 14 executive order that began dismantling VOA, the Ukrainian Service was reaching a weekly audience of 5.2 million Ukrainian adults. It had a 95% trust rating among its audience, demonstrating VOA’s credibility in a media landscape vulnerable to both Russian propaganda and domestic political pressures. The service produced 30.5 hours of television and digital journalism per week and maintained more than 40 affiliate partnerships that enabled Ukrainian outlets to carry VOA programming daily.

Its reporting from the front lines and from besieged communities documented war crimes, the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and the realities of Russia’s attacks on civilians — including exclusive footage from the early days of the invasion that shaped both Ukrainian and international understanding of the conflict. Video news features about the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in the United States, American training assistance, and interviews with U.S. F-16 pilots quickly reached online views of more than 1.5 million. A six-hour-long live broadcast on the day Congress passed additional Ukraine aid drew nearly 450,000 views on YouTube alone.

Since mid-March, however, the absence of VOA’s Ukrainian Service has created a dangerous information vacuum. Ukrainians now have significantly less access to accurate reporting about America’s intentions, debates in Congress, the administration’s diplomatic efforts, and how the American people view the war. This vacuum is being quickly filled by Russia, whose military doctrine openly relies on information warfare, and by China, which has expanded its Ukrainian-language media operations.

At a moment when U.S. support for Ukraine is under intense global scrutiny, America cannot afford to lose its trusted voice on the ground, accurately reporting news from Washington. Reestablishing VOA’s Ukrainian Service is essential to preserving U.S. influence with regional audiences, countering adversarial propaganda and ensuring Ukrainians continue to hear directly from Congress, the administration and the American people about the issues that directly impact their lives.