Context

The Ukrainian media do not exist in a vacuum, but are dependent on the political, legal, economic and social context of Ukraine. Media diversity in Ukraine evolved in line with the historical and political changes since the Fall of the Soviet Union. It equally depends on the legal framework which can promote freedom of press or censor independent media as well as the economic situation, as advertising remains one of the key financing tools for most media. Finally, the characteristics of society (i.e. literacy rates and consumption habits) determine which media or media types dominate the sector, and thus have the strongest influence on public opinion.