In one month – one billion views: record-breaking figures in the history of “Ukrainska Pravda” and their significance for the Ukrainian information space
During the most challenging time for Ukraine, when the country was engulfed by full-scale war, the website "Ukrainska Pravda" recorded its highest-ever level of popularity and traffic in its history. This occurred in February-March 2022, immediately after the Russian invasion began, marking a new stage in the development of Ukrainian independent journalism and the fight for the truth. Almost in the first month of extensive aggression, "Ukrainska Pravda" surpassed the psychological barrier of over one billion read pages – an absolute record in its history. This milestone was noted amid daily intense information storms that affected the entire country and the world. In the first days of the war, the website became a true informational disaster in the best sense of the word — hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and international readers searched for truth, news, analyses, and official sources there daily. For example, just the first week of the conflict brought over 23 million unique users, and the number of read pages exceeded 53 million. The most intense day was February 24, 2022, when over seven million Ukrainians and visitors to the country opened "Ukrainska Pravda" websites and read over 53 million pages that day. After the initial days, the peak in activity persisted, albeit with slight decreases in metrics. On February 25, 2022, the number of page views reached 6.4 million users, and on February 26, about 5.4 million. Despite the decline, the monthly and weekly statistics remained phenomenal — over a million visitors per day ensured a lively and diverse informational environment. Overall, during the first year of full-scale war, the number of visits to "Ukrainska Pravda" increased sixfold compared to pre-aggression periods. This trend became evident: Ukrainians and the global community consistently turn to Ukrainian media in the most difficult moments. Notably, the top news stories that garnered the most reader attention included reports on the goals and actions of Russian politicians: "Lavrov called the new 'goal' of the 'operation' in Ukraine," which garnered over 2.2 million views; "Putin began the war" — over 2.1 million; and "Putin named the conditions for ending the war" — approximately another 2 million readers. Equally significant was the historic surge in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity. At that time, Ukrainian society actively expressed support and protest, and the number of "Ukrainska Pravda" readers during that period exceeded 372 million pages. Since then, the resource's popularity has only grown: today, the site is visited daily by at least one million unique users. For instance, on Victory Day, May 9, 2025, more than 1.1 million readers viewed over 3.35 million pages. The article by Roman Kravets "Putin’s death on Tuesday" became the most viewed piece on the site, gathering over a million views. In the field of economics, the most attention was drawn to Alina Polyakova's material "I Will Sell My Kidney: How Much Does a Human Body Cost" (more than 1.7 million views), while for the "Ukrainska Pravda. Zhytтя" audience, the most popular article was "10 Early Signs of Pregnancy According to Experts" (over 1.7 million). On platforms within the "Ukrainska Pravda" media network, high engagement figures are also noticeable across various content formats. For example, on "European Pravda," the most read news was "The US Responds to Putin’s Decision to Put Nuclear Forces on Alert" — over 1.1 million views. On "UP. Tabloid," the most attention-grabbing piece was "Many Families Are Disappearing: Tymoshenko Explains Why Men Not in the Armed Forces Need to Leave the Country," which gathered over 550,000 views. In addition to written articles, video content also attracts readers: the most popular video on the "Ukrainska Pravda" YouTube channel was "Third After Russia and the USA: What Ukraine’s Nuclear Potential Looked Like," created by Eldar Sarakhaman, Yevhen Rudenko, and Dmytro Larin. This indicates that Ukrainians seek not only to know the truth but also to see it in visual form, especially during the most difficult times. Overall, these record-breaking figures reflect the deep need of Ukrainian society for truth and quality journalism. They demonstrate that even in the darkest times, Ukrainians continue to seek information, queue for it, and remain loyal to their independent media sphere. "Ukrainska Pravda" continues to be a voice of freedom and an antidote to propaganda. We are grateful to all readers, and with you — we will continue to uphold high standards of objective and quality journalism. To support this important cause, join our UP Club, receive exclusive merchandise, including T-shirts featuring the legendary Don Quixote from world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei. Your support is our strength in the fight for the truth.