The territory that is modern Ukraine was absorbed by the Russian Empire during the 18th century. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence but was reconquered and subjected to extended Soviet rule. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for seven to eight million Ukrainian deaths. Although Ukraine gained independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest known as the "Orange Revolution" in 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote.

TV coverage is provided by Ukraine's state-controlled nationwide broadcast channel and a number of privately-owned television broadcast networks. Russian television broadcasts have a small audience nationwide, with larger audiences in the eastern and southern regions. Multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available. Ukraine's radio broadcast market is a mix of independent and state-owned networks, and consists of about 300 stations.

Over three fourths of the Ukrainian print market is controlled by six publishing houses. Two of these publishing houses have foreign owners: Burda-Ukraine belongs to German media company Hubert Burda Media, and EdipPress-Ukraine is owned by the Swiss company Edipresse. The remainder have Ukrainian owners. Segodnya-multimedia belongs to the company System Capital Managment, which is owned by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov. The popular daily newspaper Fakty i Kommentarii is owned by billionaire Viktor Pinchuk.