Commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are required to coordinate their interview statements with the Directorate of Strategic Communications

Pressure on freedom of speech and democracy continues in Ukraine, as commanders of Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) units are now required to coordinate their commentary for media, blogs, and interviews with the UAF’s Strategic Communications Directorate.

This information comes from “Detector Media,” citing a relevant order confirmed by two sources involved in the UAF communications divisions.

The report states that commanders and heads of structural units within the Defense Forces, as well as military educational institutions, establishments, and organizations, are now required to coordinate the theses of interviews, briefings, blogs, and comments with the Strategic Communications Directorate—a structural unit of the Armed Forces responsible for organizing strategic communications within the military.

The order specifically pertains to “leaders (commanders, heads) of structural units of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the UAF, the General Staff of the UAF, military administration bodies, formations, military units, higher military educational institutions, military training units of higher educational institutions, establishments, and organizations of the UAF, and other components of the Defense Forces.”

According to the order, the relevant materials, along with the protocol of the expert commission meeting on confidentiality issues, must be sent for review to the email address of the UAF’s Strategic Communications Directorate no later than three days before publication.

Sources indicate that the order requiring the approval of theses for interviews, briefings, blogs, and comments by military personnel was signed recently, although the document itself was prepared by the Strategic Communications Directorate some time ago.

Previously, it was reported that at the end of last year, there were attempts to restrict Ukrainian military personnel from publishing photos and videos on the internet.