When the newspaper disappears, Russian propaganda wins
How Trump Weakens Ukrainian Media in Wartime
January 20, 2026
4 minutes
Every week, they walk for hours through dust and rubble to humanitarian distribution points in the Kharkiv region; Ukrainian grandmothers, searching for emergency food, medicine, and their newspaper. For many, it's the only news they receive, in a war where electricity and internet are anything but a given. The weekly newspaper is not a luxury, but a lifeline.
Today, that lifeline is under threat. Not only from Russian drones and bombardments, but also from a decision made far from the front. International support, which for years had been the financial heart of independent Ukrainian media, vanished in an instant.
One of those media is Slobidskyi Kray, the oldest newspaper in KharkivFor more than a century, it has been published in a region that is now among the hardest-hit parts of Ukraine. “For many of our readers, the newspaper is sometimes the only connection to the outside world,” says editor-in-chief Larysa Hnatchenko“Especially for the elderly and for people in villages where the internet is unreliable or simply non-existent.”
For Hnatchenko and her team, violence isn't an abstract concept. Just yesterday, she visited villages where houses were severely damaged. "They live there under constant shelling, don't want to leave, and have problems with the repair of their homes," says Hnatchenko. In Kharkiv today, journalism means not only informing people at such times, but also: record, preserve, testify.
The blow from Washington
That very work is now under pressure due to a devastating decision thousands of kilometers from Kharkiv. Earlier this year, the US government launched a large-scale and abrupt dismantling of its own development agency USAIDAt least 83% of the budget was cut. In Washington, President Trump dismissed the agency's work as "really corrupt," "run by radical lunatics," and "totally unexplainable." For newsrooms on the front lines, this means something different: fewer journalists, fewer newspapers and more space for disinformation.
The consequences were immediately felt on the editorial floor of Slobidskyi Kray the day after the drastic decision. Financial support from USAID provided up to 50% of the newspaper's funding and helped keep crucial links in the newspaper running: printing costs, wages, and the logistics involved in a region under siege. When those promised funds suddenly disappeared, the editorial staff was left with outstanding invoices from the printer. Hnatchenko suddenly had to step in herself: "We had incurred expenses that I suddenly had to pay with my personal bank card," she says. "2025 became particularly difficult. But stopping was not an option."
The story of Slobidskyi Kray is no exception. It is estimated nine out of ten Ukrainian media outlets depend on foreign supportDuring wartime, the domestic advertising market largely collapsed, while pressure on independent journalism clearly increased. For years, the largest portion of this international support came from the United States, via USAID. With its disappearance, a large part of the media landscape was suddenly thrown into disarray.
Not emptiness, but propaganda
This makes the decision particularly sensitive in a country where the war is not only fought militarily. Russian propaganda and disinformation For years, they have formed a second front, especially in occupied or liberated areas. Local media play a crucial role there: they debunk rumors, provide context, and maintain verifiable facts. Since the withdrawal of USAID, several Ukrainian newsrooms have announced they can no longer pay freelancers and staff, putting even more pressure on independent reporting.
Hnatchenko has seen firsthand what happens when that reporting disappears. Whenever Russian troops occupy an area, she says, not only the military but also their own media follow. In occupied towns and villages, propaganda newspapers, recognizable by the Z symbol, were distributed almost immediately. the message that Ukraine does not exist And Russia restores order. "That's the first thing they do," says Hnatchenko. "They also take over the information."
When media disappear or weaken, there's no void. "Information never simply disappears," Hnatchenko emphasizes. "It's always replaced—by propaganda or rumors."
This fear is shared by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The international press freedom organization warns that the USAID attack is dealing a severe blow to journalism worldwide. Especially media in conflict zones and authoritarian contexts are affected – precisely where independent information is both most vulnerable and most necessary.
According to RSF, the loss of this support threatens not only editorial staff weaken, but also it public debate itself. When reliable news sources disappear, the risk of censorship, propaganda, and disinformation increases. The consequences are rarely limited to a single country.
We are not running away
For Larysa Hnatchenko, quitting was never an option. She received strong support from the local community for this; support she hopes to find internationally in sufficient quantities. "We can't keep going on our own," she says. "We live under constant shelling and bombardments. If we disappear, the enemy will take our place.According to Hnatchenko, it doesn't stop there: "After Ukraine, other European countries will follow. Then the war will come to you too."
Her newspaper, Slobidskyi Kray, has existed for over a century and has survived wars, regimes, and political upheavals. "This year we turn 109," she says. "We don't run away. We don't shout from high places and we don't sell ourselves. We do our job—and we'll keep doing it."
