“In 2022, since Russia started its war of aggression against Ukraine, at least 12 journalists and media workers have been killed and 21 have been injured while performing their professional duties”. This is according to the 2023 Annual Report by the Partner Organisations of the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, released today in Strasbourg and Brussels. “Russia’s war in Ukraine occurred in the context of a continued degradation of press freedom in Europe, with a significant increase in the number of journalists detained”. Published under the title “War in Europe and the Fight for the Right to Report”, the Report addresses the main threats to media freedom in Europe and makes recommendations to the Council of Europe, the European Union and Member States “on the actions needed to improve the situation”. During 2022, the platform posted 289 alerts for “serious threats or attacks on media freedom” in 37 States, “where journalists have been killed, arrested, assaulted, prosecuted and subjected to defamation campaigns”. This figure includes – according to the Report – alerts concerning Russia, as Partner Organizations have decided to continue monitoring the situation of media freedom and attacks against journalists after Russia’s exclusion from the Council of Europe in March 2022.