A practical UK partnership initiative for Ukrainian media producers
For more than four years, Ukrainian journalists, editors, photographers, videographers, filmmakers, writers, bloggers, artists, regional newsrooms and independent creators have carried a responsibility no free society should take for granted.
You have reported under shelling. You have filmed evacuations, funerals, destroyed homes and liberated villages. You have exposed war crimes, challenged Russian propaganda, preserved memory and held together the daily record of a nation fighting for its life. Many of you have done this while displaced, exhausted, underpaid and grieving colleagues.
PRESS, a British Support Ukraine Media Initiative, is being developed in recognition of that reality.
PRESS is a new not-for-profit initiative based in London. Its purpose is to help mobilise Britain’s media, creative, cultural, educational and technical sectors in practical support of Ukrainian media organisations and the people documenting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
PRESS believes that meaningful support for Ukrainian media must begin with Ukrainians themselves. Our role is to listen carefully, understand where support is most needed and build trusted partnerships that respond to the ideas, experience and practical needs identified by Ukrainian journalists, editors, photographers, filmmakers, writers, bloggers, artists and independent creators.
Several organisations already provide important support to Ukraine’s media sector. PRESS does not seek to duplicate their work, but to strengthen and extend it by helping build a more united and effective British support system, working in partnership with existing organisations whenever this is useful.
Britain has one of the world’s strongest media, creative, cultural and technical sectors, with significant goodwill towards Ukraine. Yet there is still no coordinated British initiative connecting these resources directly with Ukrainian media producers.
PRESS aims to create that route. By identifying real needs in Ukraine and matching them with relevant British partners, PRESS can help turn goodwill into practical support, visibility and long-term collaboration.
This offers clear benefits on both sides. Ukrainian media producers gain greater support, opportunity and international reach. British partners gain a credible way to stand with Ukraine, support press freedom and democracy, strengthen their Corporate Social Responsibility commitments and show clients, staff and stakeholders that their values are being put into action.
During my up coming visit to Ukraine, I hope to meet media organisations, unions, and creatives to seek partnership and discover how PRESS can provide practical support.
Project 1 PRESS Online
During the development of PRESS, one clear problem became apparent. There is already valuable support, information and creative work connected to Ukraine’s media and cultural sectors, but it is scattered across many websites, social media pages, newsletters and individual campaigns.
For Ukrainians working under pressure, this makes useful support harder to find. For British and international partners, it makes the Ukrainian media landscape harder to understand and engage with.
PRESS is therefore developing a straightforward online hub to gather this information in one accessible place. PRESS online details of support programmes, grants, training opportunities, safety resources, equipment assistance, cultural projects, exhibitions, publications and relevant organisations working in support of Ukraine.
It also provides space for Ukrainian journalists, photographers, videographers, filmmakers, writers, bloggers, artists and independent creators to present their work, share updates and connect with possible partners.
Call to Action
PRESS invites Ukrainian, British and international organisations and individuals to contribute information about their work, programmes, projects and opportunities, so this shared resource can grow into a useful and trusted point of connection for those who need support and those who can offer it.
Project 2 Ukrainian Media Content Syndication
PRESS has identified many Ukrainian media organisations producing world-class journalism, photography, video, documentary and cultural reporting. Platforms such as Euromaidan Press, Frontliner and Ukraїner, alongside major English-language publications, national outlets and regional newsrooms are creating work of exceptional value and importance.
Much of this work deserves a wider audience in Britain and beyond.
PRESS is seeking Ukrainian media outlets willing to consider the benefits of syndicating selected editorial content through the PRESS platform. By allowing PRESS to republish or feature carefully chosen articles, photo essays, interviews, reports, blogs, cultural writing or multimedia stories, Ukrainian publishers can reach new readers, increase international visibility and help drive traffic back to their own websites.
Every syndicated item would be fully credited, clearly linked to the original publication and presented with respect for the publisher’s ownership, editorial identity and rights. PRESS would not replace Ukrainian platforms, but act as an additional route to discovery.
Call to Action
PRESS invites Ukrainian media organisations to explore content partnership with us so your content can reach new audiences, build stronger international recognition and connect more directly with people in Britain who want to understand and support Ukraine through Ukrainian voices.
Project 3 PRESS Online Gallery and Exhibitions
The art and media emerging from Ukraine during this war represents one of the most significant bodies of conflict-related creative work of modern times.
It has been created by photographers, photojournalists and filmmakers and also by artists and independent creators whose work may not previously have been shaped by war. Many have been compelled by circumstance, duty and lived experience to document the destruction, resistance, grief, courage and humanity around them.
This work matters not only because of the events it records, but because of the extraordinary creative force with which Ukrainians are recording them.
Ukraine’s visual culture did not begin with this war. It draws on a rich artistic tradition, sharpened by the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity and years of social and political struggle in which visual artists, writers and cultural voices played an essential role. Since the full-scale invasion this creative energy has become even more urgent, amplified by new technology and the need to defend truth against Russian propaganda and cultural destruction.
The result is a remarkable visual record of national survival. It deserves to be seen more widely and recognised for its historical and cultural importance.
Yet many of those creating this record continue to work under immense pressure. They document frontline life, civilian suffering, destroyed communities, military resistance and the quiet endurance of daily survival, while facing drones, shelling, relocation, unstable incomes, exhaustion and trauma.
Although Ukrainian visual work has received important recognition through exhibitions, publications and international awards, there is still no sustained British platform dedicated to presenting, promoting and supporting it as an ongoing body of historical and creative significance.
PRESS Online Gallery
PRESS invites Ukrainian visual artists, content creators and international contributors working in Ukraine to submit selected work for inclusion on the PRESS website. As the site develops into a central UK-based hub, the gallery will help bring this work to wider audiences in Britain and beyond, while guiding visitors directly to each contributor’s own online gallery, portfolio, publication or creative platform.
PRESS Exhibitions
As part of its wider mission, PRESS aims to create opportunities for Ukrainian visual work to be seen in physical spaces as well as online. A future exhibition, or series of exhibitions, would bring powerful Ukrainian photography and visual art to British audiences, offering a direct encounter with the human experience and creative force of Ukraine during the war, while also creating practical benefits for the artists, content creators and international contributors involved. By providing a space where selected works could be exhibited and sold, the project would help generate income, visibility and wider recognition for those working in Ukraine.
For British sponsor partners, the exhibition would offer a clear and credible Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity. Supporting sponsors would receive naming rights, appropriate public recognition and close association with the launch and selected private viewing events. PRESS would work with them to create meaningful opportunities to invite clients, customers, stakeholders and staff, allowing them to demonstrate their commitment to Ukraine’s fight for freedom, democracy, truth and cultural survival.
PRESS would also help connect sponsors with Ukrainian organisations, contributing artists and other relevant partners, creating opportunities for dialogue, relationship-building and future collaboration. Sponsors would be encouraged to purchase selected works from the exhibition, both to provide direct support to the artists and to create a lasting record of their organisation’s solidarity with Ukraine.
In this way, sponsorship would move beyond symbolic support. It would offer a visible, values-led partnership with measurable cultural, humanitarian and reputational impact, while helping give Ukrainian photography and visual arts a stronger and more sustained presence in the heart of London.
Call to Action
PRESS invites Ukrainian artists, photographers, photojournalists, film and video producers to contact us about submitting their work for the PRESS online gallery and future exhibition opportunities.
Future Support Areas
As PRESS develops, it will seek to build wider forms of practical support in partnership with Ukrainian organisations, British partners and existing support bodies. These may include:
Financial assistance and emergency grants for media producers facing urgent hardship.
Please visit our Resources for Ukrainian and International Media and Creators page to find organisations currently providing emergency support.
Equipment support, including cameras, lenses, computers, communication tools, protective technology and production resources.
Production grants to help sustain reporting, documentary work, cultural projects and independent creative practice.
Training, mentorship, commissioned assignments and professional development through British media, creative and cultural partners.
Education, fellowships and short-course opportunities through universities, colleges, journalism schools, film schools and arts institutions.
Welfare, medical, psychological and legal support pathways for those affected by injury, trauma, harassment, detention or persecution.
Advocacy, public events and cultural engagement to strengthen international awareness, counter propaganda and keep Ukrainian voices visible.
Become our Partner
PRESS is asking Ukrainian media, cultural and arts organisations to partner with us in clear and practical ways: by helping build the Media Support Hub, by exploring content syndication, and by contributing to a stronger British platform for Ukrainian photography, film, writing, art and visual storytelling.
These steps can help reduce fragmentation, improve access to support, increase international visibility, bring new readers to Ukrainian media platforms and strengthen the case for greater British support.
PRESS understands that Ukrainian media organisations and independent creators are already carrying an immense burden. Our purpose is not to add to that burden, but to help lighten it by creating new routes to support, recognition and partnership.
Your Safety Comes First
The safety of Ukrainians who contact PRESS is our highest priority. We recognise that many of the people we hope to support may be working in dangerous and highly sensitive circumstances. For that reason, we handle personal information with great care and aim to keep all communication as safe, limited and respectful as possible.
Secure direct contact: For any sensitive one-to-one communication, PRESS uses the Signal messaging application. At present, only the founder has access to this account.
Restricted email access: The PRESS Gmail account can also only be accessed by the founder.
Careful handling of personal information: Any personal or sensitive information received through Signal or email will be deleted from those applications as soon as possible. If any information needs to be retained for practical reasons, it will be stored offline on a secure device accessible only to the founder.
Share only what is necessary: Please do not send more personal information than is necessary in your first message. If further details are needed, PRESS will request them carefully and only when required.
Anonymity if requested: Anonymity will always be respected if requested. If it feels safer, you are welcome to use a name tag or pseudonym when first contacting PRESS.
Take care with images and documents: Before sending photographs, videos or documents, please consider whether they contain identifying details such as faces, addresses, phone numbers, registration plates, military positions or location data.
Consent and protection of others: If you are sharing material that includes other people, please consider their safety and consent as well as your own.
Care over public visibility: We assume that this website may eventually be viewed by Russian operatives or others acting in bad faith. For that reason, all information published on the site is treated as public. No individual will be featured without their knowledge and agreement.
No public disclosure without agreement: PRESS will not publish names, project details, images or any other identifying information connected to sensitive work without the clear agreement of the individual or organisation involved.
Copyright and permission: All creative work published on this site will have been approved by the individual or organisation that owns the copyright.
Transparent and carefully managed support: Any support provided by British donor partners will be structured as a clearly defined project managed by PRESS. We will also maintain full financial transparency for both the Ukrainian or international recipient of support and the British donor partner.
Our Ethical Approach
PRESS is guided by the core ethical principles recognised by reputable media organisations: accuracy, fairness, independence, transparency, accountability and respect for human dignity.
Because many of the people we work with operate in dangerous and sensitive circumstances, we place particular importance on safety, consent and the careful handling of information.
We believe ethical responsibility is not only about what we publish, but also about how we listen, how we work and how we protect those who place their trust in us. (see About Us page for more details)