How Spivprostir Is Changing the Way Ukrainian Media Portray Animals: Key Insights from Donbas Media Forum 2026

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, animals have received significantly more attention in Ukrainian media, particularly through stories of rescue operations, evacuations, shelters, and veterinary care. Yet greater visibility does not always mean better coverage. Stories about animals still often rely on emotional appeals, infantilizing narratives, or sensationalism, while scientific perspectives, specialist expertise, and solutions journalism remain underrepresented.

To change this trend and encourage more professional reporting that recognizes animals as individuals, newsrooms need practical tools. One highlight of the workshop was a presentation of Spivprostir, a journalism competition designed to promote more responsible coverage. Valeriia Volyk, Communications Manager at the U-Hearts animal welfare platform, shared the initiative's story and results.

Two Realities: A Shelter Crisis and a Media Bubble

According to research conducted by the U-Hearts animal welfare platform, the number of animals in shelters increased by 20–30% in regions away from the front lines and by 100% in frontline regions in 2023. Shelters and volunteers faced severe resource shortages, understaffing, and declining adoption rates.

Yet Ukrainian media often paint a very different picture. Media monitoring by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) revealed that most animal-related stories focus on entertainment or rely on clickbait headlines. 

The analysis found that:

• 44% of publications focus on wildlife.
• 36% cover pets and stray animals.
• Only 3% address animals in the context of war and its devastating consequences.

How Spivprostir Is Driving Change

To help bridge this gap and support journalists willing to explore complex issues, Kormotech and the U-Hearts animal welfare platform launched Spivprostir, a journalism competition formerly known as Animal-Friendly Country. The initiative emerged in response to the devastating ecocide caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in June 2023, when the environmental and animal welfare consequences called for particularly informed, expert-led reporting.

As Valeriia Volyk explained, the competition aims to support journalists and show that in-depth reporting on animals and the environment matters—and that an audience exists for it. Another key goal is to shift media coverage away from clickbait toward meaningful analysis and investigative journalism. Ultimately, Spivprostir seeks to build a community of pet- and eco-conscious media professionals by bringing together newsrooms committed to these issues.

Over three years, the initiative has delivered significant quantitative and qualitative results. The competition has attracted 381 journalistic submissions and helped establish a network of more than 400 engaged contacts across national and regional media outlets. The project also won first place twice in MMR.ua’s Responsible Country social initiatives competition, in 2025 and 2026.

“Over the three years of Spivprostir, we have witnessed a shift in how journalism approaches animals. Journalists are increasingly exploring ecocide, inclusivity, grieving practices, and animal welfare. But this raised a natural question: are we seeing a change driven by the competition’s selection of stories, or is the wider media landscape evolving too? The IMI research results show that there is still a great deal of work ahead,” said Valeriia Volyk, Communications Manager at U-Hearts.

Spivprostir’s most important achievement is its contribution to changing the language and framing of media coverage. While only 3% of animal-related news stories across the broader media landscape address the war, coverage of the war’s impact on animals dominates competition submissions, accounting for 43%.

An analysis of the submitted stories reveals a shift in perspective: animals are no longer merely background figures in human-centered narratives. They are increasingly portrayed as individuals whose experiences matter in their own right. 

Several measurable changes illustrate this evolution:

• The share of stories in which animals are given names increased from 7% to 18%.
• Headlines emphasizing the “human rescuer” declined from 26% to 12%.
• However, the analysis also revealed a less encouraging trend: the share of headlines featuring experts dropped from 9% to 1%.

Despite these challenges, meaningful stories about inclusivity, grieving practices, and the consequences of ecocide are beginning to replace quirky animal trivia and superficial entertainment.

Animals deserve more than a few seconds of attention beneath an amusing video. The media have a responsibility to explore the causes of problems, investigate their wider implications, and help identify solutions. This means giving greater prominence to Ukrainian scientists, researchers, and public institutions.

There is a clear demand for thoughtful, well-researched journalism about animals. The next step is to move beyond intuitive observations and develop systematic editorial guidelines. This would help establish a strong, lasting community of pet- and eco-conscious media professionals.

The fourth nationwide Spivprostir journalism competition launched on September 2, with a total prize fund of UAH 100,000. The competition accepts journalistic works published or broadcast between September 2 and December 2, 2026.

For more information about recommended topics, participation requirements, and the registration form, visit the official competition page