Last week, well-respected Ukrainian journalist Tetyana Chernovil was brutally beaten on her way home. Opposition leaders suspect that act was orchestrated by the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych. The image of Chernovil’s bruised face has since been adopted by Euromaidan protesters as a symbol of state-sanctioned repression against Ukraine’s independent media .
Direct acts of physical violence are not the only means of repression that pro-government forces are using. Yanukovych’s political allies also are using media takeovers and hacking, and their actions have the potential to influence elections.
