The majority of Ukrainian media have been kept afloat in recent years only thanks to foreign aid, with most of the funds, according to Oxana Romanjuk, the head of the NGO “Institute for Mass Information”, coming from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a contribution to Gromadske Radio, Romanjuk explained on Tuesday that after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Ukrainian advertising market, particularly in the online media sector, had collapsed by 92 percent and had not yet recovered.
The advertising income was not sufficient to keep Ukrainian media portals afloat and many of them had to rely on grants to maintain their operation, she said, adding that in some cases, foreign funding accounted for 100 percent of the financing.
“Almost 90 percent of Ukrainian media survived on grants” Romanjuk said and added that at least 80 percent of the country’s media had received funds from USAID programs. Some grants had also been provided by EU structures and other international organizations.
Her statements were made in the context of several Ukrainian media, including Gromadske Radio itself, recently announcing the cancellation of several programs. The reason was a lack of financing, which followed the decision of the US to temporarily suspend USAID’s overseas programs. Romanjuk said that 90 percent of Ukrainian media were affected by this step and many of them were now calling for emergency donations.
“The American grants were the key” Romanjuk said and added, “[the] remaining are European institutions. I hope they will fill the gap with new proposals for Ukrainian media, to support and protect us.”
Last week, US President Donald Trump issued a decree that imposed a 90-day ban on almost all US programs for foreign aid, pending review by the State Department. More than 60 senior employees of USAID were let go. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has only exempted humanitarian aid programs and military aid for Israel and Egypt.