Natalya Ryabinska calls into question the commonly held opinion that the problems with media
reform and press freedom in former Soviet states merely stem from the cultural heritage of
their communist (and pre-communist) past. Focusing on Ukraine she argues that in the period
after the fall of communism peculiar new obstacles to media independence have arisen. They
include the telltale structure of media ownership with news reporting being concentrated in
the hands of politically engaged business tycoons the fuzzy and contradictory legislation of
the media realm and the informal institutions of political interference in mass media. The
book analyzes interrelationships between politics the economy and media in Ukraine
especially their shadowy sides guided by private interests and informal institutions. Being
embedded in comparative politics and post-communist media studies it helps to understand the
nature and workings of the Ukrainian media system situated in-between democracy and
authoritarianism. It offers insights into the inner logic of Ukraine's political system and
institutional arrangement in the post-Soviet period. Based on empirical data of 1994-2013 this
study also highlights many of the barriers to democratic reforms that have been persisting in
Ukraine since the Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014.
