The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

Search in Europe, stage: pressure, from 2020

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryBelarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Slovakia, RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180
ContinentEurope
TacticOfficial labels 4Funding and ownership pressure 4Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StagePressure 6
OutcomeSustained 5Reversed 1
LevelNational 6
Head of governmentAlexander LukashenkoRobert FicoViktor OrbanVladimir Putin

6 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
4 August 2026Russia: law on asset freezes and service denials for exiled "foreign agents", August 2026Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Official labelsVladimir PutinSustained (4 August 2026)
20 June 2024Slovakia's parliament dissolves public broadcaster RTVS, replaces it with STVRSlovakia (RSF 2026 rank: 37th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsRobert FicoSustained (1 July 2024)
20 December 2023Hungary: National Sovereignty Protection Act and Sovereignty Protection Office, December 2023Hungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Official labelsViktor OrbanReversed (30 June 2026)
9 March 2022Belarus: Deutsche Welle and other outlets labeled 'extremist'Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Official labelsAlexander LukashenkoSustained (9 March 2022)
23 April 2021Russia: independent outlet Meduza designated a 'foreign agent'Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Official labelsVladimir PutinSustained (23 April 2021)
24 July 2020Hungary: editor fired and staff resign at Index.huHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Funding and ownership pressureViktor OrbanSustained (24 July 2020)
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