Yesterday at 20:09
In March, the international broadcasting team launched FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, a new information project on the FREEДОМ channel “Turkic Focus,” and a new historical series “Chechnya. History of the Living” on FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ. Audience attention was focused on the results of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s strategic Middle East tour, strikes by Ukraine’s Defense Forces on targets inside the Russian Federation, issues of Ukraine’s defense expertise in countering drones amid the war in Iran, and strong statements by European politicians regarding Vladimir Putin.
In March, FREEДОМ content on international broadcasting platforms across social media and messengers (YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, X, WhatsApp) gathered 46.2 million views*, including 21.3 million on YouTube channels of international broadcasting**, 10.5 million on Facebook, 8.6 million on Telegram, and 4.75 million on TikTok. Separately, FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ content on TikTok received 838 thousand views. The total number of views of FREEДОМ content on digital platforms of the state enterprise “The International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine” and partners reached 123.2 million over the month***, and 15.1 billion over the entire period of operation. During the month, the FREEДОМ mobile application for Android and iOS, with access to live broadcasting and a content library, recorded more than 190 thousand visits, including from Russia, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada.
Throughout the month, the FREEДОМ audience focused on events and statements related to the war in Iran and its consequences for the region and the world, including for Ukraine. There was also strong interest in materials covering “drone diplomacy,” particularly the President of Ukraine’s tour of Middle Eastern countries. A statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the U.S. operation in Iran is another signal to Putin — that dictators are not eternal and Russia is an unreliable ally even for its partners — gathered 526 thousand views on FREEДОМ. This video had 86.4% international views, with one-third of the audience from Russia. On the FREEДОМ.МНЕНИЯ platform, the livestream “First Consequences of the Conflict” about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, casualties in the UAE and Israel, and destruction of residential areas was watched by 406 thousand viewers: more than 90% from abroad, one-third from Russia. A news segment on the war in Iran as a geopolitical blow to the Kremlin received 93% of views from abroad, primarily from Russia and Uzbekistan. The audience was also drawn to Donald Trump’s call for Iranian military forces to lay down arms and surrender, stating that the U.S. operation would continue until its objectives are achieved: 360 thousand views, 90.5% from abroad, with every fifth viewer from Russia. Overall, content about the U.S. operation in Iran gathered more than 4 million views on FREEДОМ YouTube channels****.
There is constant audience interest in effective operations by Ukraine’s Defense Forces under extremely difficult battlefield and rear conditions. The most popular content in March was a segment from the “Front News” program about how a Ukrainian anti-drone patrol destroyed an enemy FPV “killer drone” and saved the lives of soldiers in a strategically important frontline city in Donetsk region: 529 thousand views, 84.4% from abroad (41.9% from Russia). A report about a successful Ukrainian drone strike that sank an FSB patrol icebreaker worth $300 million in the port of Vyborg gathered 145 thousand views, 77% from abroad. Materials about foreign volunteers fighting on Ukraine’s side also traditionally resonate with international broadcasting audiences. Among them — a story about Dan, a veteran of an elite U.S. Army unit, who has been defending Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, fighting against the genocide of the Ukrainian people and the destruction of Ukrainian culture by Russian imperialism. The report received over 310 thousand views, 85% from abroad (Russia — 26.8%, Kazakhstan — 13.1%, Uzbekistan — 8.3%).
International support for Ukraine, the issue of a new €90 billion EU aid package, statements by European leaders on the need to increase pressure on Russia, and meetings between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European politicians also remained in the spotlight. Footage of the President of Ukraine’s visit to Romania was viewed more than 330 thousand times. More than 200 thousand views were gained by a strong statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling on Donald Trump to increase pressure on Putin to achieve peace, noting that after four years of war, Russia’s economy has weakened significantly and its armed forces have suffered heavy losses. At the same time, the issue of Putin’s responsibility for launching the war against Ukraine and creating a propaganda system justifying war crimes was addressed in an episode of the program “Tribunal.” Up to 90% of views of these videos came from international audiences, with every fourth viewer from Russia.
In March, FREEДОМ premiered the information project “Turkic Focus” hosted by Maryna Honcharuk, dedicated to Ukrainian-Turkic relations and key developments in this field. A segment of the new project about Muslims in Ukraine celebrating the holy month of Ramadan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation in a festive iftar received over 1.5 million views and became the most popular video of the month: 86.9% of views from abroad (Russia — 23.3%, Uzbekistan — 14.9%).
In March, the international broadcasting team also launched Instagram and Facebook pages for the FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ project to scale the platform for covering topics that unite Ukraine and the Caucasus in the fight against a common enemy and to expand audience access to information about Russia’s colonial policy. In the first weeks, the FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ Instagram account gained more than 3.3 million views and more than 2.3 thousand followers, while the Facebook account reached 3 million views and 3.3 thousand followers*.
In addition, FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ projects covering contemporary struggle and historical resistance for identity and memory of the region’s peoples under Kremlin colonial policy received 1.8 million views in March: 958 thousand on YouTube and 838 thousand on TikTok. 92% of views came from international audiences, including Russia — 52.2%, Germany — 6.8%, Kazakhstan — 5.2%. Leading cities included Moscow, Grozny, Saint Petersburg, Makhachkala, Krasnodar, and Tashkent. In March, a new historical series “Chechnya. History of the Living” was launched, revealing through personal stories the era of war and the nature of resistance. The first episode is dedicated to Khamzat Gelayev — a symbol of the resilience of Chechen resistance — presented by Said Isaev, spokesperson of the Sheikh Mansur Battalion. Among popular videos was also a commentary by Chechen Republic of Ichkeria public figure Musa Lomaev about the death of former Chechen senator and influential businessman Umar Dzhabrailov, questions surrounding the official Kremlin version, and possible political consequences for the region. Another widely viewed piece featured fighters of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria within Ukraine’s Armed Forces addressing Ramadan from the frontline — speaking about fighting alongside Ukraine against a common enemy, Russia, religious freedom in Ukraine, and support for the Ukrainian people. More than 90% of views of these materials came from abroad.
Issues in the region were also highlighted in a segment of the program “News of Free Peoples” hosted by Kyryl Volnyi, about rising food prices in Grozny despite orders from Ramzan Kadyrov to control markets and prevent price increases. On the FREEДОМ: DOC platform, it gathered 168 thousand views, half of them from Russia.
* Total views across all owned digital platforms of IBMPU: YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, X, WhatsApp. Data sources: digital analytics tools; Google Analytics; YouTube Studio of FREEДОМ channels. Period: March 2026.
** Five YouTube channels under the FREEДОМ brand: FREEДОМ, FREEДОМ.LIVE, FREEДОМ.DOC, FREEДОМ.МНЕНИЯ, FREEДОМ.КAВКАЗ.
*** Total metrics across all digital platforms (YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram) of IBMPU and partner platforms. Period: February 2026. Full period: March 10, 2022 — March 31, 2026.
**** Refers to the total views of relevant thematic content across FREEДОМ digital platforms.
ABOUT FREEДОМ
FREEДОМ is a Ukrainian state international broadcasting channel aimed at Russian-speaking audiences outside Ukraine. The broadcast channel is available via satellite, cable, DTH, IPTV networks of national operators, and OTT platforms. Digitally, it is представлен on 15 platforms online — YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, X, WhatsApp. FREEДОМ is part of the state enterprise “The International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine.” IBMPU is a stable, multi-level institution within the state’s information security system, which includes ten media brands — FREEДОМ, “Дім“, UATV.English, UATV.Arabic, UATV.Español, The Gaze, UATV.Português, UATV.Deutsch, UATV.Türkçe, UATV po polsku — producing and broadcasting content in nine languages: Ukrainian, English, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, German, and Turkish.
