Georgia ranked 103rd and Azerbaijan 164th in Reporters Without Borders' annual World Press Freedom Index. The first South Caucasian country dropped by 26 positions, the second by 13. Armenia does not appear in the ranking.

The Russian Federation is located on the 162nd line. According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 1,500 journalists left the country after the start of the SVO.

“The list of journalists and media outlets labeled by Russian authorities as “foreign agents” or “undesirables” continues to grow, with many media workers subject to unjustified arrests. In this area, only two states compete with Russia: Belarus (167th place) and Turkmenistan (175th place),” Reporters Without Borders indicated.

At the same time, Ukraine improved its ranking by 18 lines, taking 61st place. The outsiders were China (172nd place), Bahrain (173rd), Vietnam (174th), Turkmenistan (175th), Iran (176th), North Korea (177th), Afghanistan (178th). e), Syria (179th). The top three are still occupied by three Scandinavian countries that are members of the European Union - Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

“More and more governments are failing in their role to ensure that journalism is a trusted and independent source of information. This often occurs through hostile actions that undermine the role of the media, using the press as a tool for campaigns of harassment and disinformation,” the Index authors summarize.

In April, Roskomnadzor blocked the website of Reporters Without Borders in Russia. The service did not explain the reasons for this decision, based on the requirement of a “state body”, without indicating the name of the latter.

In March, RBG launched a free satellite television package “Freedom”, which broadcasts nine Russian-language television and radio channels.