Ukraine’s top general calls for censorship

Restrictions on freedom of the press are needed to protect military plans in information age, General Aleksandr Syrsky has said

Ukraine needs to introduce defense-linked censorship, the nation’s top military commander General Aleksandr Syrsky said in an interview with Radio Bayraktar broadcast on Thursday. Restrictions should be aimed at hiding sensitive information about troops from Kiev’s enemies, the general suggested, explaining that anyone can access any information nowadays.

The general justified his proposal citing “established” wartime practices that have arisen out of “necessity,” adding that he did not seek to infringe on anyone’s rights. “I do not want to introduce a dictatorship like in North Korea. We are not the first to wage a war… there is a certain established package of measures that are absolutely mandatory,” he said.

According to Syrsky, certain “sensitive information” such as the march routes of various military units should be hidden from the public eye, particularly “now, when the information space is accessible to everyone.”

At the same time, the general said that the public should be kept informed about “the real situation” so that the people “understand that the war is near” and “there is no such sharp difference between the front and the rear.” 

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Kiev has already introduced what it called a United News TV tele-marathon soon after the start of the conflict in February 2022. The project is a 24/7 joint information program produced by the country’s major media outlets to provide news coverage during the conflict.

The telethon has faced criticism for potentially monopolizing television broadcasting and stifling dissent. Some opposition channels have reported exclusion from the telethon due to their political stances in 2023. Leader Vladimir Zelensky also openly called the telethon a “weapon” that same year, adding that it “works for Ukraine and against Russia.” 

In October 2024, the European Commission questioned the operation and public funding of the telethon in its annual report on Ukraine’s progress toward accession to the bloc. Kiev brushed off those concerns. In 2024, the Ukrainian government spent about $17 million on the project and is expected to pour just as much money into it this year.

Kiev has also repeatedly considered restricting or even blocking the messaging platform Telegram, citing national-security concerns. In March 2024, the nation’s military intelligence (GUR) head, Kirill Budanov, labeled Telegram a potential national-security threat.