Free Media Awards 2023
Sevgil Musaieva

Founded 2000 by Georgi Gongadze, this online newspaper is one of the largest independent media entities in Ukraine. It has consistently been an important source of balanced, critical information. After the newspaper changed hands in 2021, Musaieva and the rest of the editorial staff have managed to maintain its independent and critical point of view, and investigative reporting has remained an important aspect of those efforts. While the full-scale Russian invasion on 24 February 2022 changed almost everything else, it did not alter the high standards of the journalistic work done by Sevgil Musaieva and Ukrainska Pravda. With the creation of an English-language version, Musaieva ensured that a readership far beyond the borders of Ukraine can access high-quality, reliable reports on the war and its consequences.

Musaieva embarked on her career as a financial journalist with Forbes Ukraine, among others, investigating corruption among high-level officials and MPs. Following the Russian occupation of Crimea, Musaieva, herself a Crimean Tatar, co-founded CrimeaSOS. It started out as a Facebook page to help refugees and provide verified information about the situation on the Crimean peninsula. As of today, CrimeaSOS is an NGO that sees its mission as contributing to the de-occupation of Crimea and its subsequently reintegration into Ukraine. Sevgil Musaieva has been editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda since 2014. Recently, she made a series of in-depth interviews with influential politicians. She also hosts UP.Chat, a weekly discussion featuring invited journalists who talk about war, international relations and the problems related to fighting corruption. Time Magazine named her one the 100 most influential people of 2022.

Read the announcement of all award winners from June 2023

See interview with FMA winners 2023