Russia drops to a record-low position in RSF's World Press Freedom Index, ranking 171st out of 180 countries

Russia dropped by nine points and took 171st place in the World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). This is Russia's worst performance in the history of the index, which has been compiled since 2002.

Out of the 180 countries included in the index, only Nicaragua (172), Vietnam (173), Turkmenistan (174), Afghanistan (175), Iran (176), Syria (177), China (178), North Korea (179), and Eritrea (180) rank lower than Russia.

Jeanne Cavelier, head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk at RSF, told The Insider that Russian authorities have begun to use prosecutions more frequently to pressure journalists:

“Russia has experienced the steepest decline in press freedom scores across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, particularly in the legal and political indicators. This sharp deterioration reflects the regime’s increasingly repressive use of judicial tools to silence independent journalism. There is a growing trend of judicial harassment, including in absentia convictions targeting exiled journalists, and punitive criminal rulings that result in outright bans on practicing journalism.

A striking example of this legal void is the case of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roschchyna, who died in detention in Russia. Her repatriated body was missing internal organs, likely removed to obscure the true cause of death. This horrifying case also illustrates the broader problem of a repression of media professionals that extends beyond Russia’s borders.

Politically, the situation continues to deteriorate. Independent media have been almost entirely erased through systematic blocking and censorship. Only Kremlin-aligned outlets remain, controlled directly or indirectly by elites close to power. In this environment, legal mechanisms only serve the state’s repressive apparatus.”

Economic factor

The RSF report released on May 2 states that economic pressure has become one of the primary threats to media freedom. The authors mention such factors as pressure from advertisers and sponsors, the absence of public funding, or its limited or non-transparent allocation.

“Today’s news media are caught between preserving their editorial independence and ensuring their economic survival.”

In 2025, the economic indicator of the World Press Freedom Index reached a critically low level. For the first time, the press freedom situation is “difficult” worldwide, not just in individual countries, RSF emphasizes. Also, for the first time in the history of the Press Freedom Index, conditions for journalistic work are recognized as difficult in half of the world's countries and satisfactory in only one in four.

According to RSF, the media cannot achieve financial stability in 160 out of 180 countries included in the ranking. In nearly one-third of the world's countries, including the United States, news media outlets are shutting down due to economic hardship. In 46 countries, many or even all news media are state-owned. In 92 countries, the majority of journalists surveyed reported that media owners limit their outlets' independence.

Mass media are also weakened by the dominance of Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft in the distribution of information: “These largely unregulated platforms are absorbing an ever-growing share of advertising revenues that would usually support journalism.”

As RSF Editorial Director Anne Bocandé explains, “When news media are financially strained, they are drawn into a race to attract audiences at the expense of quality reporting, and can fall prey to the oligarchs and public authorities who seek to exploit them. The media’s financial independence is a necessary condition for ensuring free, trustworthy information that serves the public interest.”

The Middle East and North Africa remain the most dangerous region for journalists, the report says. The situation is worst in Gaza, where the Israeli army has staged a “mass destruction of journalism.” Europe fares best, but even there the economic indicator has declined in 28 out of 40 countries.

Each country's place in the ranking depends on five indicators that reflect the level of press freedom in a given territory: political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context, and security.