Media about corruption: how the Ukrainian information space has changed its focus amid pressure from pro-Russian narratives
2 December 22:11
In the third quarter of 2025, the Ukrainian media space significantly changed its focus in covering the topic of corruption: the media and social networks talked more often about specific disclosures, the responsibility of officials, and the role of civil society rather than abstract problems. This is evidenced by the results of media monitoring conducted by the Center for Content Analysis at the request of the NACP, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Civil society organizations in the spotlight
According to the study, the share of publications that emphasized the contribution of activists and CSOs to the fight against corruption increased from 13% to 19%. This trend is explained by the activity of anti-corruption communities amid high-profile events in the sector – from discussions around draft law No. 12414 to threats to the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
The media widely covered protest actions and investigative journalism, which became the driving force behind many anti-corruption cases.
Shift from “thinking” to specifics
The monitoring recorded a decrease in publications without a factual basis – general reflections on corruption. Instead, there were more stories about detentions, suspicions and trials. However, the media pay only 2% of their attention to preventive measures that should prevent corruption.
Digitalization, which was actively linked to reducing corruption risks a year ago, was mentioned much less frequently.
Pro-Russian narratives and information attacks
The increase in reports about the alleged “deterioration” of the corruption situation in Ukraine was mostly generated by pro-Russian bloggers. Almost half of such posts on social media were the product of channels with hostile rhetoric. They also promoted the usual IPSOs about “theft of Western weapons” and “total corruption” in the defense sector.
The crisis around NABU and SAPO in the summer caused a short-term surge in pessimistic assessments, but after the independence of the agencies was restored, the wave of such messages faded.
What topics dominated
- High-level corruption exposés were among the top stories.
- Domestic corruption was mostly covered through the prism of mobilization evasion.
- In some countries, there were six times more stories about Ukrainian anti-corruption policy abroad, mainly due to the attention to the situation with the NABU and the SAPO.
The monitoring covered more than 126,000 stories in the top 100 Ukrainian media and 800 of the most popular posts on Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube. The analysis covers the period from July 1 to September 30, 2025, and is part of the state anti-corruption strategy.
