Free Media Awards 2024
Bihus.Info – Ukraine

Founded by the investigative journalist Denys Bihus in 2013, Bihus.Info has become a cornerstone of independent journalism in Ukraine. Its programmes are published on the Bihus.Info website and the YouTube channel of the same name. The editorial board currently consists of journalists and analysts who wield significant influence on the political landscape in Ukraine and internationally. Their reporting has brought tangible results such as legal actions against corrupt civil servants, political changes, and heightened awareness of systematic challenges facing the country. In 2023, Bihus.Info was behind a series of investigations that exposed the fact that high-value government contracts were being awarded to companies with ties to public servants. The funding was actually earmarked for the reconstruction of buildings that had been destroyed by Russian shelling. In spring 2024, for example, Bihus.Info turned its attention to Russian torture chambers in Kherson while they were under Russian occupation. This past January, Bihus.Info was attacked by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which sought to discredit the journalists and their work. In response to the incident, Bihus.Info instigated its own investigation of the attack, which proved to be illegal, and went on to expose internal corruption in the SBU.