According to the BBC, the average weekly number of recipients of the website has more than tripled since the beginning of the year, reaching a record reach of 10.7 million people last week (compared to 3.1 million). In English, the number of visitors to bbc.com in Russia increased by 252% last week. (up to 423,000).
The Director General of the BBC says: We will continue to give Russians access to the truth
The website informing about what is happening in Ukraine live in Russian was the most visited non-English website on the entire BBC World Service website. It had 5.3 million views.
The website in Ukrainian also recorded a significant increase – the statistics of entries are more than twice as high as at the beginning of the year. Last week, the website had a reach of 3.9 million (compared to 1.7 million), and the audience of bbc.com in Ukraine increased by 154%.
These numbers take into account direct traffic to BBC websites and are likely to increase significantly if social media audiences are included.
In total, 77.4 million unique users watched online BBC coverage from Ukraine in English during the first five days of the invasion (with almost 200 million live page views in Ukraine).
BBC CEO Tim Davie says:
It is often said that the truth is the first casualty of war. In a conflict where disinformation and propaganda is rampant, there is a clear need to deliver factual and independent news that people can trust – and with significant growth, millions more Russians turn to the BBC.
“We will continue to give the Russians access to the truth, however we are able to do so,” he added. Davie also expressed his respect towards journalists working in Ukraine and Russia, saying:
Courageous and committed journalists – from many news organizations – do an important job reporting on events in Ukraine. Not only those who came to report there, but journalists for whom Ukraine is home, including our talented colleagues from the Ukrainian BBC service.
The Russian war against Ukraine continues. There is information about houses destroyed, wounded and killed. Needs are increasing hour by hour. That is why Gazeta.pl joins forces with the Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM) Foundation to support humanitarian aid for Ukrainians and Ukrainians. Anyone can join the fundraiser by making a deposit via Facebook or the website. More information in the article:
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
