Although we are only getting started, we aim to progressively extend our coverage of countries around the world.
Ukraine is literally the front line of the war for democracy.
All democratic countries should continue supporting Ukraine in every possible way
until the Russian invader is completely defeated.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the president of Ukraine and a hero of Ukrainian freedom and democracy.
Democracy vs Totalitarianism
With the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine,
together with the rise in power of the People's Republic of China and its increasingly aggressive assertiveness,
this decade is marked by a direct confrontation between democracies and totalitarian regimes.
Ukraine must win the war and Putin's regime must be thoroughly defeated.
In a televised interview on Aug. 27 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has submitted a proposal to parliament
to equate corruption with treason while martial law is in effect in Ukraine.
This article is about the war ongoing since 2014.
Ukraine's journey to independence and democracy
Ukraine's road towards independence and democracy has been very long and very painful,
and Ukraine still has to defeat its most terrible enemy, the present day Russian Federation.
Provide a short outline of Ukraine's road to independence and democracy,
and document the democratic reforms that Ukraine will need to continue after its victory (hopefully soon) over Russia.
While we hope that Ukraine will quickly be able to defeat Russia and recover its 1991 borders,
its democratization process will not end with a victory in the ongoing war.
Already today, aside from the military confrontation, reformers are struggling to define
the democratic nature of post-war Ukraine.
Ukraine to join NATO
At the very beginning of Russia's full scale invasion,
it was almost inconceivable that Ukraine would join NATO.
At some stage, president Zelensky himself conceded that they had to give up such hope in order to secure peace.
However, the subsequent events on the battlefield, and the scope of the crimes committed by Russia,
dramatically changed the conditions.
Today, not many people doubt that Ukraine will eventually join NATO,
although it is clear that it shall happen only after the war.
A few short years ago, NATO had almost lost its raison d'être.
Today, NATO can be seen as the armed forces of democratic countries.
Ukraine joining NATO will be beneficial for all.
First, at long last, Ukraine's peace and military protection shall be assured.
Also, NATO shall gain a new, powerful democratic ally.
Ukraine to join the European Union
Ukraine shall join the European Union as certainly it will NATO.
Ukraine is in the process of conducting reforms that are required to be admitted in the EU.
Judicial reform
Right in the midst of a brutal war against Russia,
Ukraine is battling on another front:
its war against corruption.
Judicial reforms are urgently needed; they have been ongoing for years, and the process has suffered many setbacks
Among existing problems are: [1]
- The head of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, being charged with bribery.
- Trusted and independent candidates have been excluded from competitions for key judicial posts, while tainted ones have been green-lighted.
- The independence of the judiciary from the executive branch is not yet fully established.
Although judicial independence exists in principle,
in practice there is little separation of juridical and political powers.
Judges are subjected to pressure by political and business interests.
Ukraine's court system is widely regarded as corrupt.
5.42
Full democracyFlawed democracyHybrid regimeAuthoritarian regime
55.76
GoodSatisfactoryProblematicDifficultVery Serious
The Russian military’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to significant deterioration in the political rights and civil liberties enjoyed by Ukrainians.
The Russian military's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 undermined internet freedom in the country. Ukraine’s internet infrastructure sustained severe damage during the invasion, though the government, telecoms operators, and internet service providers invested significant resources to keep users online, often working cooperatively. However, in some occupied cities, the Russian military rerouted online connections through Russian networks, subjecting users to content restrictions in place in Russia. Though independent media outlets became increasingly popular during the war, journalists covering the war faced serious danger when reporting. Meanwhile, aggressive disinformation campaigns, primarily originating from Russia or linked to Russian actors, sought to mislead users, including campaigns intended to falsely portray Ukrainian officials as supporting the full-scale invasion. In response to the invasion, the Ukrainian government instituted martial law, which places limits on freedom of expression. Government websites and media outlets were the frequent target of cyberattacks, often from Kremlin-linked actors, that started in the days before the invasion and persisted through the end of the coverage period. The Ukrainian government, however, has managed to defend itself against a number of significant cyberattacks.
