Research of the information field of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and youth activity in the government-controlled areas of Donbas

Research of the information field of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and youth activity in the government-controlled areas of Donbas

Duration: 01.02.2019 – 01.03.2021

Supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine through the International Renaissance Foundation

Amount of funding: USD 14,700

The project aims to analyse the activities of youth NGOs in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, mainly focusing on the changes that have occurred due to the 2020 local elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A separate block in the project studied the transformation of the media sphere in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. To do this, the SfPA team conducted in-depth interviews with local journalists who worked in the currently occupied part of Ukraine in local, national, and international media before 2014 and/or during the Russian invasion. 

The project resulted in two analytical reports: the first examined the specifics of the region’s media and Russian influence on them before 2014, and the second analysed the dynamics of Donbas civil society development and the views of youth civic activists on the reintegration of the occupied territories. 

Based on these data, the SfPA team developed recommendations for improving youth and information policy in the region.