Reconstructing Ukraine with good journalism

Amid the rubble of bombed apartment buildings and public infrastructure across Ukraine, investigative journalism is playing a key role in recovery efforts.

IMS partner Recovery Window media network brings together 130 independent regional and national media outlets, NGOs and thinktanks to monitor and report on all aspects of recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine.

In 2024, the network produced 842 recovery-focused journalism projects. Collectively these reports, stories, analyses, investigations and explainers reached 24 million readers through social media, websites and other platforms.

“I see this as journalism’s contribution to bringing hope and instilling a sense of engagement in a society where people are fatigued by news about the war – even inside Ukraine,” Anastasiia Rudenko, editor-in-chief of Rubryka, said.

Anastasiia Rudenko was one of the network’s co-founders, and Rubryka’s website of solutions-focused stories reaches more than 2 million visitors every month.

Making a difference

Among highlights of recent coverage, Rubryka looked at how the strategic processing of demolition waste can save money and reduce landfill. It reported on a circular project in Kharkiv where bricks, wood and surviving windows and doors from demolition sites are being reused in restoration work. Recycled
construction waste is also being used to build roads and reinforce dams.

Rubryka reported on how a team of researchers trained an AI model to assess images of destroyed buildings and debris and identify which materials in the rubble can be reused.

Reports by network members Larp Media and Pershyi Kryvorizkyi helped speed up the launch of a second pipeline supplying water to Kryvyi Rih after Russia destroyed the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The project will provide clean water to all communities of the Kryvyi Rih district.

An investigation by Sil.media put the spotlight on inappropriate temporary modular housing with shared bathroom facilities. As a result of the reporting, the city of Poltava signed a deal with a foundation to build permanent housing for displaced families.

Budget cuts hit hard

The Recovery Window network lost 80 percent of its budget from US funding cuts overnight.

“This has drastically limited our ability to serve as a resource hub for dozens of editorial teams across Ukraine. Our network… comprises investigative centres and the most progressive media outlets in every region – those that have been vetted for independence and values and can be trusted,” Recovery Window said.

“The funding halt has suspended our programmes that supported content production, regional reporting, explainers and peer-to-peer learning formats, including thematic cooperation and collaboration events. We no longer have the resources for any of this.”

The network said it has limited capacity to help struggling members’ editorial teams hit by cuts. Partners in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions can no longer publish printed versions of their publications due to frozen grants.

“Many of these editorial teams are in an extremely difficult situation – some have lost up to 90 percent of their funding and have only been able to partially replace a small fraction of it. As a result, many are being forced to downsize their teams or work pro bono. This, of course, threatens their very existence,” the network said.

The network continues to freely publish recovery-related news on the Recovery Window aggregator.