Crimea in foreign media: coverage across Europe and the Middle East

Crimea frequently appears in European media, but the way it is portrayed—whether pro-Ukrainian, pro-russian, or neutral—differs by country. 

This insight was shared by Olha Skrypnyk, Chair of the Crimean Human Rights Group and co-coordinator of the Crimea Platform Expert Network, during a discussion at Media Center Ukraine.

“We aimed to include a selection of European countries in our analysis, focusing on local languages instead of English, to see what readers are exposed to in their own language. We looked at Germany, Romania, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, France, and Sweden, studying their top outlets for coverage on Crimea. It’s clear that Crimea is widely mentioned, mostly in the context of ongoing hostilities. However we also need to recognize that there are also prevalent pro-russian regarding Crimea’s status and future,” Skrypnyk explained.

Olha Skrypnyk noted that neutral references to Crimea are most common in Swiss media, while Sweden, Poland, and Romania feature the most pro-Ukrainian coverage. On the other hand, media in Italy, France, and the Netherlands lean more towards pro-russian narratives. 

“This doesn’t reflect official government positions,” she clarified. “It’s just how the media in these countries present the issue.”

Mentions of the Crimean Tatars in European media are rare, making up only 3% of all references to Crimea.

The study also looked at the Middle East, where Crimea and the Crimean Tatars are more frequently mentioned, albeit from a predominantly pro-russian perspective. 

“There is a strong presence of pro-russian propaganda in Arabic media, which is difficult for us to counter,” the Chair of the Crimean Human Rights Group said. “Most outlets discuss Crimea through a pro-russian lens, which is a significant challenge for us.”

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news