IMS and Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne Ukraine, sign a memorandum of strategic partnership

The Memorandum between Suspilne Ukraine and IMS is aimed at strengthening the institutional resilience of Suspilne by engaging the broadcaster in programmes and initiatives of the European Union, developing the professional competencies of media specialists, preparing and implementing joint initiatives and enhancing resilience, media literacy and digital literacy.

The Memorandum outlines the key areas of cooperation, the potential for joint action, implementation mechanisms and general principles that will guide the partnership.

As noted by Gulnara Akhundova, over its 25‑year history, IMS has become a centre of accumulated expertise in media development across countries on different continents. Today, at a time of extraordinary challenges for Ukraine, the IMS team is ready to share its experience to strengthen the resilience of Ukrainian media and identify additional resources to support Ukrainian journalism.

“The IMS strategy rests on three inseparable priorities: public-interest journalism, media safety and an enabling environment for freedom of expression. In Ukraine, under conditions of full-scale war, these principles cannot be separated and must be advanced together, every day, as a single, holistic effort. Our team works every day at all levels to ensure that these principles, in which we deeply believe, are implemented in Ukraine to the fullest extent possible under conditions of full‑scale war,” said Gulnara Akhundova, commenting on her visit to Ukraine.

As noted by Rodion Kochubey, member of the Suspilne Management Board, Suspilne Ukraine is currently the largest broadcaster in Ukraine, and despite its public funding model, the company’s governance remains independent of state bodies and institutions. This aligns with the role of journalism in a democratic media architecture and can serve as an important benchmark for countries undergoing transformation and seeking ways to develop strong public service media that meet high standards of social responsibility and journalistic ethics.

Since the beginning of the full‑scale invasion in 2022, Suspilne Ukraine has faced considerable challenges. However, the team continues to develop the organisation in various directions – from the continuous improvement of resilience mechanisms, which is essential during wartime, to creating new audience‑focused products. For example, the team has developed products for vulnerable audiences, such as the mobile app BROBAX, which serves as an access point for Ukrainian children to 250 hours of free content without advertising or toxic narratives. More than 50,000 users downloaded the app in the first week after its launch.

“Our team has many projects designed for different audience groups. Therefore, we welcome our partnership with such a strong international organisation as International Media Support, and we expect that this cooperation – now in a systemic format – will open new opportunities. It is important for us to feel the support of such a strong player, and we are grateful to everyone who supports IMS initiatives for Ukraine,” added Rodion Kochubey.

The Memorandum symbolises that by combining their respective strengths – audience reach, content creation, expertise and resources – Suspilne Ukraine and IMS can amplify the impact of their value‑based approaches and contribute to the formation of an informed society, draw public attention to important issues and foster positive social change.

“Cooperation between Suspilne Ukraine and IMS matters not as a formality but as a strategic and value‑driven partnership. Closely following developments and working daily with Ukrainian media actors, this cooperation responds to very real needs: strengthening institutional capacity, supporting sustainable development, investing in people and building a stronger link between Ukrainian public media and European and international frameworks. Public media in Ukraine play a unique role, especially during the war. Supporting this means supporting democratic resilience, social cohesion and the public’s right to reliable information,” commented Gohar Khodjayan,Head of the IMS Representative Office in Ukraine, who has worked for more than 18 years on IMS development projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

About SuspilneThe Memorandum between Suspilne Ukraine and IMS is aimed at strengthening the institutional resilience of Suspilne by engaging the broadcaster in programmes and initiatives of the European Union, developing the professional competencies of media specialists, preparing and implementing joint initiatives and enhancing resilience, media literacy and digital literacy.

The Memorandum outlines the key areas of cooperation, the potential for joint action, implementation mechanisms and general principles that will guide the partnership.

As noted by Gulnara Akhundova, over its 25‑year history, IMS has become a centre of accumulated expertise in media development across countries on different continents. Today, at a time of extraordinary challenges for Ukraine, the IMS team is ready to share its experience to strengthen the resilience of Ukrainian media and identify additional resources to support Ukrainian journalism.

“The IMS strategy rests on three inseparable priorities: public-interest journalism, media safety and an enabling environment for freedom of expression. In Ukraine, under conditions of full-scale war, these principles cannot be separated and must be advanced together, every day, as a single, holistic effort. Our team works every day at all levels to ensure that these principles, in which we deeply believe, are implemented in Ukraine to the fullest extent possible under conditions of full‑scale war,” said Gulnara Akhundova, commenting on her visit to Ukraine.

As noted by Rodion Kochubey, member of the Suspilne Management Board, Suspilne Ukraine is currently the largest broadcaster in Ukraine, and despite its public funding model, the company’s governance remains independent of state bodies and institutions. This aligns with the role of journalism in a democratic media architecture and can serve as an important benchmark for countries undergoing transformation and seeking ways to develop strong public service media that meet high standards of social responsibility and journalistic ethics.

Since the beginning of the full‑scale invasion in 2022, Suspilne Ukraine has faced considerable challenges. However, the team continues to develop the organisation in various directions – from the continuous improvement of resilience mechanisms, which is essential during wartime, to creating new audience‑focused products. For example, the team has developed products for vulnerable audiences, such as the mobile app BROBAX, which serves as an access point for Ukrainian children to 250 hours of free content without advertising or toxic narratives. More than 50,000 users downloaded the app in the first week after its launch.

“Our team has many projects designed for different audience groups. Therefore, we welcome our partnership with such a strong international organisation as International Media Support, and we expect that this cooperation – now in a systemic format – will open new opportunities. It is important for us to feel the support of such a strong player, and we are grateful to everyone who supports IMS initiatives for Ukraine,” added Rodion Kochubey.

The Memorandum symbolises that by combining their respective strengths – audience reach, content creation, expertise and resources – Suspilne Ukraine and IMS can amplify the impact of their value‑based approaches and contribute to the formation of an informed society, draw public attention to important issues and foster positive social change.

“Cooperation between Suspilne Ukraine and IMS matters not as a formality but as a strategic and value‑driven partnership. Closely following developments and working daily with Ukrainian media actors, this cooperation responds to very real needs: strengthening institutional capacity, supporting sustainable development, investing in people and building a stronger link between Ukrainian public media and European and international frameworks. Public media in Ukraine play a unique role, especially during the war. Supporting this means supporting democratic resilience, social cohesion and the public’s right to reliable information,” commented Gohar Khodjayan,Head of the IMS Representative Office in Ukraine, who has worked for more than 18 years on IMS development projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

About Suspilne

Suspilne is the only national broadcaster covering over 97 percent of Ukraine’s territory, operating 24 regional TV channels, three radio stations and multiple digital platforms. The team includes almost 4,000 professionals: journalists, editors and technical staff. Content includes news, analysis, documentaries, investigations, coverage of war crimes, cultural programmes and sports. 

Suspilne Ukraine is a media company present across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi, Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport and a national network of local channels as well as the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura and Radiotochka. The broadcaster creates content in minority languages, represents Ukraine at Eurovision and trains media professionals through the Public Media Academy. The Suspilne Mediateka platform contains an archive of unique video and audio materials from the 1920s to today.

IMS has provided system support to Suspilne since 2022.

Further reading

Merit Forum 2025
MERIT Forum exchange on media resilience
Calling Ukrainian media experts – applications open for MERIT FORUM 2026
Seven lessons learned for media resilience during long‑term war
IMS condemns the recent attack in Dnipro City that damaged Suspilne property
One hundred days of war in Ukraine
Read about the global challenges of journalism in the key points shared by Jesper Højberg, Executive Director of IMS.