Freedom of Speech Barometer for September 2025

The Institute of Mass Information experts recorded 9 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in September 2025, according to the IMI’s monthly monitoring study Freedom of Speech Barometer.

IMI recorded five crimes against media and journalists committed by Russia in September. These included murder and wounding of journalists, as well as legal pressure.

Four media workers defending Ukraine in the ranks of the UAF were reported dead in September. One of them had been considered missing in action since October 2024.

Oleksandr Holyachenko, former Kyiv FM and Nash Kyiv journalist turned servicemember. Killed in action in Zaporizhzhia oblast on 3 September 2025.
Denys Ponomarenko, Starlight Media director of photography turned serviceman. Died on 7 September 2025 while performing a combat mission in Kharkiv oblast. Denys was a cameraman and director of photography for many projects including Psychic Challenge, X Factor, Ukraine Got Talent, Everybody Dance, Phenomenon, CUBE, Lie Detector, Hearts of Three, Mole, Psychics On The Case until 2021.
Yaroslav Levytskyi, former cameraman with Channel 5 and the media agency ACC turned serviceman. Had been considered missing since October 2024. Reported dead on 9 September 2025. Assigned to a military unit fighting near Pokrovsk (Donetsk oblast) in late October 2024. Yaroslav went missing a few days after joining the unit.
Bohdan Buday, journalist with the Vinnytsia-based news outlet Vezha turned officer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Died on 26 September 2025 in the area where he was performing his duties.

112 media personnel have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with 13 dying while reporting.

Freedom of speech in Ukraine in September 2025

Media workers injured:

Vadym Khomenko, chief engineer at Suspilne Kherson, was injured in a Russian “petal mine” explosion in downtown Kherson on 22 September. He suffered severe injuries to his leg but was quickly hospitalised and had surgery thanks to his colleagues’ prompt action; his condition is now stable. It was later reported that the explosion happened on Suspilne Kherson premises, which employees (who mostly work remotely) visit every now and then as the equipment remains in the office. The Russian troops plant mines on the Suspilne Kherson premises by dropping anti-personnel mines such as “petals” from drones. This was reported following a SES inspection, which revealed several more mines on the broadcaster’s premises. Even though the office was cleared of mines after the de-occupation, new mines suggest a deliberate attack on media infrastructure. The office was temporarily shut down in response for safety reasons and Suspilne stepped up the protection of their staff in the regions near the front line.
A crew including Channel 5 correspondent Olha Kalynovska hit a magnetic mine, which detonated under their car, during a trip near Pokrovsk (Donetsk oblast) on 19 September. All four crew members suffered concussions and one was injured in the leg (in addition to a large bruise, his upper leg bones were broken). The car was severely damaged.

Russia’s cyber crimes:

Russia’s special services hacked the blog of Ukrainska Pravda contributor Yana Matviychuk and made a fake post impersonating her. The post aimed to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces, claiming that they had targeted civilian objects in Foros in southern Crimea. Matviychuk said that the blogpost had been fabricated from beginning to end and had aimed to undermine trust in the Ukrainian army and to smear her personally. The fake post was promptly taken down, but by then it had already been picked up by key Russian propaganda outlets. Matviychuk believes the attack was a response to an alleged UAF strike at several facilities in Foros, including the Foros sanatorium, known as the “FSB villa.” Ukrainska Pravda technicians and competent authorities are investigating the hacker attack.

Ukrainian media workers sentenced by Russian courts:

In September, Russian-installed courts in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia oblast sentenced two Ukrainian media workers, Heorhiy Levchenko and Vladyslav Hershon, to 16 and 15 years in prison respectively. Both were admins for the Ukrainian Telegram channels RIA Melitopol and Melitopol Is Ukraine, which continued to work following the occupation of the city. The two men were detained back in 2023, kept in undisclosed locations, and then charged with “high treason,” “espionage,” and “terrorism.” The trials were held in camera and the rulings were based on charges that Russia only applies to Russian citizens. According to Mass Information, 26 Ukrainian media workers remain Russia’s political prisoners today. The imprisoned journalists face pressure, inhumane detention conditions, and have little to no access to legal defense.

IMI also recorded four freedom of speech violations unrelated to Russia’s war on Ukraine. These included cases of obstruction of reporting, threats, and persecution of journalists.

Obstruction of reporting:

Kryvyi Rih City Council official Viktoria Samoylenko (Tretyak) obstructed the work of Pershyi Kryvorizkyi journalist Yelyzaveta Makarcheva at a Zhadan i Sobaky concert. She physically disrupted the filming, shoved the journalist, grabbed her by the arms and the bag, claiming that the reporter was getting in the way of her enjoying the show. Samoylenko denies being in the wrong, but in the video the journalist is visibly wearing a reporter badge.
Chetverta Vlada journalist Serhiy Turovych faced obstruction and violent threats while filming in the Rivne Razom reception office, where pensioners were being handed out groceries in exchange for their personal data. Upon showing his press ID, he was accused of “provocation” by the office employees, who tried to make him leave, and the crowd tried to shove him out. A man threatened him and demanded he “go to the front line.” The journalist decided against calling the police so as not to harm the people who were waiting for the aid.

Threats:

The Kyiv Independent reported pressure by the management of Fire Point following their investigation into the possible irregularities in state drone procurement agreements. The company demanded a retraction and threatened to report the news outlet to the SBU for “high treason” and “abetting the aggressor state.” Editor Olha Rudenko said this was an attempt to intimidate the journalists and to influence their independent editorial policy.

Indirect pressure (Stalking):

The Kyiv Independent CEO Daryna Shevchenko was stalked near the building where she lives in Kyiv. An unknown man interviewed her neighbours, showing them her photo and taking pictures of the entrance to her home. According to the news outlet’s editor Olha Rudenko, he was escorted to the building by employees of the local housing office, who said that he had shown them a badge, but did not say what kind of badge. Shevchenko has filed a statement with the police on stalking. The team believes the incident has to do with her activities and the media outlet’s investigative work.

See the full list of Russia’s crimes against media and journalists in Ukraine.

RUSSIA’S CRIMES

Journalists injured — 2

1. Car carrying Channel 5 war correspondent hits mine near Pokrovsk

19.09.2025 A crew including Channel 5 correspondent Olha Kalynovska hit a magnetic mine, which detonated under their car, during a trip near Pokrovsk, reports Channel 5.

According to the correspondent, mined roads are a particular threat near Pokrovsk. During one trip, the group passed over a magnetic mine that detonated under the car. All four crew members suffered concussions and one was injured in the leg (in addition to a large bruise, his upper leg bones were broken). The car was severely damaged.

“Thank God, everyone is alive and well. All four of us only have concussion… The driver suffered the most,” Kalynovska said.

After the car exploded, the Russian troops began searching for the crew. The group had to find the nearest dugout and take cover in it. To do this, they moved on foot (walking 200–400 meters for over an hour) with intervals: 20–30 seconds of movement, then lying down to hide in the greenery, all as drones circled above them.

“We walked 200–300 meters for over an hour. It was like this: we move for 20–30 seconds, then we lie down. Some lie down, some fall, some hug a tree,” said Olha.

A UAF serviceman from the Dovbush Hornets Battalion of the chasseurs brigade No. 68 “Khotab” pointed out the enemy’s tactics: the FPV strike drones worked in a “cascade”, with one approaching the target, another controlling the shot, the third one filming the result, rinse and repeat.
The car after the explosion. Photo via Olha Kalynovska on Facebook

The war reporter added that the enemy’s work was affected by weather: in the rain, the Russian troops can intensify attacks and assaults in small groups while trying to impede Ukraine’s logistics and the supply of ammunition, drones, and reinforcements.

“They are trying to disrupt our logistics, to prevent our soldiers from getting to the positions to replace the previous ones, to prevent drone supplies, ammunition supplies… And yesterday they succeeded,” Kalynovska concluded.

2. Suspilne Kherson engineer injured by a Russian mine

22.09.2025 Vadym Khomenko, chief engineer at Suspilne Kherson, was injured in a Russian “petal mine” explosion in downtown Kherson today, 22 September, at around 11:00, Suspilne Kherson director Mykhailo Svarichevskyi reported in a Facebook post.

He said that Khomenko’s colleagues who were nearby provided first aid promptly by applying a tourniquet and quickly taking him to the hospital.
Vadym Khomenko. Photo via Mykhailo Svarychevskyi on Facebook

“The detonation resulted in Vadym Leonidovych [Khomenko] suffering an explosive injury affecting his skin, parts of his leg, and a shrapnel wound to the leg (bone fracture),” Svarychevskyi said.

He added that the surgery had gone well and that Vadym Khomenko’s condition was stable.

Suspilne Kherson chief editor Tetyana Yaremenko said that Vadym Khomenko was in the hospital in a moderately serious condition. “He had a surgery. His leg is intact, doctors say that he was born lucky. I didn’t see the mine because it was in a pile of leaves,” Yaremenko said, according to the Suspilne website.

Earlier, a crew including Channel 5 correspondent Olha Kalynovska hit a magnetic mine, which detonated under their car, during a trip near Pokrovsk. All four crew members suffered concussions and one was injured in the leg (in addition to a large bruise, his upper leg bones were broken). The car was severely damaged.

Cyber crime — 1

1. Russian forces hack Ukrainska Pravda contributor’s blog, post fake news

21.09.2025 Russia’s special services hacked the blog of businesswoman, public figure, and free economy advocate Yana Matviychuk on the Ukrainska Pravda (UP) website and made a fake post impersonating her. Matviychuk reported this on her UP blog, which is now back online.

Matviychulk says that the post aimed to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces, claiming that they had targeted civilian objects in Foros in southern Crimea. The propagandists tried to frame it as the author herself was condemning the Ukrainian army.

“The blogpost was fabricated from beginning to end. It had only one goal: to undermine trust in the Ukrainian army and to smear me personally,” Matviychuk explained.

According to her, the fake post was removed less than 30 minutes after publication thanks to the prompt response by the UP and the website’s administrators. Still, it has already been picked up by key Russian news outlets, including RIA, URA, RG, and Rambler.

“The articles were all identical, which once again proves that the operation was planned in advance,” she added.

Matviychuk believes the attack was a response to an alleged UAF strike at several facilities in Foros, including the Foros sanatorium, known as the “FSB villa,” and the Terletskyi boarding house, where high-ranking representatives of Russia’s special services were likely staying. The event demonstrated the failure of Russian air defense, which was unable to protect strategic facilities located over 300 km away from the front line.

Ukrainska Pravda technicians and competent authorities are investigating the hacker attack.

In February 2025, the online news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported their X account being hacked.

Legal pressure — 2

1. Russia sentences RIA Melitopol Telegram admin Heorhiy Levchenko to 16 years in prison

02.09.2025 The Russian-installed court of Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia oblast) on sentenced Heorhiy Levchenko, the administrator of the Telegram channel RIA Melitopol who was detained by Russian forces back in 2023, to 16 years in a high security prison on 2 September.

The Russian-installed “Zaporizhzhia Region Court” posted a report on the ruling on their website on 2 September, according to Natalia Vyhovska, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Zaporizhzhia oblast.

The Russian court found Heorhiy guilty of high treason and online calls for extremism.

Russia claims that Levchenko is guilty of running a news Telegram channel after February 2022 and “remaining in the city and continuing his work” after part of Zaporizhzhia oblast was occupied. The Russian forces have remarked that that Levchenko “had a negative opinion of the SMO (Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine — Ed.), representatives of the Russian state authorities in the region, and the foreign policy pursued by them,” and “decided to use the Telegram channel for anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian propaganda, as well as to share data on the locations of Russian Armed Forces units in Zaporizhzhia oblast with the Ukrainian special services.”

The court ruling states that Levchenko “ran a network of ‘correspondents’ in 2023 who sent him material containing calls for terrorism and violence against servicemen and representatives of the Russian authorities in Zaporizhzhia oblast, which he then posted on the Telegram channel.”

The occupiers also accused him sharing data on the locations of Russian army units with “Ukrainian special services,” which “were later used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to aim missile and bomb strikes.”

Heorhiy was found guilty under articles that only Russian citizens can be charged with. The court sentenced him to 16 years in prison, with a one-year ban on work related to website administration and a year of restriction of freedom.

Heorhiy Levchenko is on the Institute of Mass Information’s list of 26 civilians working in journalistm who were illegally detained by Russia.

In August 2023, Russian forces hacked the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian news outlet RIA Melitopol, which continuted to operate even after the occupation of Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia oblast), and the Telegram channel Melitopol Is Ukraine. They later raided Melitopol, detaining the administrators of the two Telegram channels: Oleksandr Malyshev, Heorhiy Levchenko, Maksym Rupchov, Yana Suvorova, Mark Kaliush, Kostyantyn Zynovkin. RIA Melitopol journalist Anastasia Hlukhovska, who contributed to the website before the full-scale invasion, was also detained.

In October 2023, a video of their detention was released on Russia’s central propaganda outlets and Telegram channels. The news story alleged that “three large agent groups controlled by Ukrainian security services” had been detained.

The media workers were detained in different locations for two years and learning their whereabouts was impossible.

It was reported in August 2025 that the Melitopol journalists and Telegram admins were imprisoned in various detention centres in Russia and the occupied part of Donetsk oblast. Heorhiy Levchenko was in a pre-trial detention centre in Mariupol, Donetsk oblast, and was likely moved to a prison in occupied Crimea later.

In March 2025, the Russian-installed prosecutor’s office of Zaporizhzhia oblast charged Levchenko with “high treason and public calls for extremism.”

As reported by RIA Pivden, Heorhiy has a son aged 13, a wife, and parents, who remain under occupation.

As per latest reports by Reporters Without Borders, Melitopol Is Ukraine admin Yana Suvorova is also awaiting the ruling of a Russian court. Her trial on charges of “terrorism apologia” and “espionage” is scheduled for 17 September in Rostov, Russia. Russian media have reported that the cases against the Telegram channel admins are to be tried separately by the South District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don (Russia).

The IMI representative has learned that, according to a Russian court, the hearing in the case of Oleksandr Malyshev is scheduled for 15 September. The trial against Maksym Rupchov, which had been scheduled for 28 August, did not take place due to the defendant’s failure to appear in court, according to the Southern District Military Court website. The next hearing in Maksym Rupchov’s case is scheduled for 8 October 2025. The court is also scheduled to announce the ruling in the case against Vladyslav Hershon, an administrator of the Telegram channel Melitopol Is Ukraine who was detained two years ago, on 3 September.

2. Russia sentences Melitopol Is Ukraine admin Vladyslav Hershon to 15 years in prison

03.09.2025 The Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don (Russia) sentenced Vladyslav Hershon, an administrator of the Telegram channel Melitopol is Ukraine who was detained by Russian forces in 2023, to 15 years in prison.

The court passed the sentence on 3 September 2025, Reporters Without Borders report, citing Hershon’s family.

According to Natalia Vyhovska, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Zaporizhzhia oblast, who cited the Russian court’s website, the case against Vladyslav was opened in May 2025. He was charged under three articles of the Russian Criminal Code:

espionage;
organising a terrorist association and involvement in it;
act of terrorism committed by a group of persons upon prior conspiracy or by an organised group.

The case was tried by Judge Gurgen Dovlatbekyan, appointed to this position by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2021. In addition to his judicial career, he has also been an associate professor at the Department of Criminal Law and Public Law Disciplines at the Don State Technical University (Russia) since September 2022.

According to the court’s website, the judge passed the ruling in Hershon’s case alone. According to the Russian court, the last hearing in the case took place on 2 September with the court “retreating into the deliberation room to pass the verdict.” The ruling announcement was scheduled for 3 September at 9:30 a.m. There is currently no official information about the ruling on the website.

However, the Russian human rights organization Memorial, which supports political prisoners, confirmed the verdict, citing the press service of the Southern District Military Court of Rostov-on-Don (Russia). According to them, the prosecutor requested 18 years in prison for Vladyslav Hershon. The case was considered in camera due to “the case files containing state secrets.”

According to the Russian news outlet Mediazona, Vladyslav, aged 27, was accused of having, on the instructions of the State Security Service, asked his subscribers to report the locations of Russian military unit and equipment via a feedback bot and then passed the information on to Ukrainian intelligence. Hershon and the other administrators of the channel were accused of helping aim the Ukrainian missile strike at the Melitopol College building, where the Russian Guard and FSB officers were located, on the 50th Anniversary of Victory Avenue.

Vladyslav Hershon is on the Institute of Mass Information’s list of 26 media workers unlawfully detained by Russia.

On 2 September, the Russian-installed court of Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia oblast) sentenced Heorhiy Levchenko, the administrator of the Telegram channel RIA Melitopol who was detained by Russian forces back in 2023, to 16 years in a high security prison.

The media workers were detained in different locations for two years and learning their whereabouts was impossible.

It was reported in August 2025 that the Melitopol journalists and Telegram administrators were in pre-trial detention centers in Russia and the occupied part of Donetsk oblast. According to Reporters Without Borders, Vladyslav Hershon of the Telegram channel Melitopol Is Ukraine was first imprisoned in a detention center in Mariupol and later moved to Rostov (Russia), where he was awaiting trial. People close to him told Reporters Without Borders that the conditions of his detention were “horrible and inhumane.” After the move, his letters became less frequent, the last one being dated June 2025. His trial was postponed three times, the last time being from August 13 to September 2, without explanation.

Crimea — 1

1. Russian court in Crimea fines journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva as “foreign agent”

16.09.2025 The Russian-installed court of Canköy district fined Graty journalist and human rights activist Lutfiye Zudiyeva 30 thousand Russian rubles (about 15 thousand hryvnias), finding her guilty of violating Russia’s “foreign agents” law, reports Graty.

The court claimed that Zudiyeva had had intentions to conduct “foreign agent activity” and had failed to notify the authorities about this to be entered in the register.

The journalist plans to appeal the ruling. The case was tried by Russian-appointed judge Elena Nikolaeva.

As per Graty, the administrative offense protocol alleging that Zudiyeva was involved in “foreign agent” activity despite not being in the register was drawn up on 27 August by the Crimean department of the Russian Ministry of Justice on the grounds of Part 1 of Art. 19.34 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

The Russian Ministry of Justice designated her journalism with Graty, as well as her work as a human rights activist (such as her columns and interviews with international media and human rights organizations about human rights violations committed by Russia in Crimea) as “political activity.”

On 15 September, the Russian-installed Canköy District Court reviewed the protocol. Even though the defendant was given the opportunity to provide an explanation, she was found guilty and fined 30,000 rubles (approximately 15,000 hryvnias).

In her speech at the hearing, Zudiyeva said that she viewed this case as a continuation of years of pressure on her due to her public activism and journalism in Crimea. She said that the Russian authorities aimed to silence those who report on human rights violations on the peninsula. However, she declared she was not going to stop her work in human rights.

“This is not just a matter of personal responsibility, it is a matter of my conscience as an individual. I cannot stand by and watch as, after numerous searches that occurr in Crimea constantly, children are left without parents, elderly parents without guardianship, and women without husbands,” she said.

The journalist added that these actions are usually accompanied by gross human rights violations by security officers and signs of abuse during investigations and trials.

“For example, [banned] literature is planted in people’s homes during searches, audio recordings are fabricated, and torture by electric shock is used to extract testimonies. I have already spoken with dozens of torture chamber survivors who had experienced such torture methods. And I am convinced that the opportunity to speak out about this is my right. So I believe that there is no administrative offense in my actions. I did not apply to the Ministry of Justice with a request to include me in the ‘foreign agents’ register because I do not need to be under someone’s influence to see these processes around me and talk about them,” Zudiyeva said.

In May 2025, the Russian Ministry of Justice added Zudiyeva to the “foreign agents” register. In a comment to IMI, Zudiyeva said that the news had not been unexpected. She explained that when someone works to defend the people in Crimea, speaking out and writing about the searches, the arrests, the actions of the Russian law enforcers and special services that exceed their authority and reveal an alternative picture of everything that is happening in Crimea, which does not align with the picture painted by Russian propaganda, then being included in such a list of outlawed, undesirable people becomes a matter of time.

In August 2025, Lutfiye Zudiyeva received a notice from the Russian Ministry of Justice summoning her for drawing up an administrative protocol. Zudiyeva was charged with violating the law on “foreign agents” (Part 1, Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

In September 2025, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow upheld the decision by the Russian Ministry of Justice to declare journalist and human rights activist Lutfiye Zudiyeva a “foreign agent.”

On February 22, 2024, officers of Russia’s Center for Combating Extremism searched Lutfiye Zudieva’s house. After the search, she was taken away to the counter-extremism center, but later released.

The police opened an administrative case against her under Parts 2 and 2.1 of Art. 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (abuse of freedom of mass information). The investigation was triggered by her Facebook post about the unlawful persecution of alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members, as she did not mention that Hizb ut-Tahrir is considered a terrorist organization by Russia, and also cited a Radio Liberty article without noting that the media outlet is considered a “foreign agent” by Russian law.

In March 2024, the Russia-controlled Kyiv District Court in Simferopol fined the human rights activist and journalist Lutfiye Zudieva 2,500 rubles (UAH 1,000). Roman Filatov of the Russian Counter-Extremism Center (CEC) charged her with “abuse of freedom of mass information.”

According to Zudieva, the judgement was issued without her participation and the court did not review the written objections of the defense. She believes that she is not an offender and as a natural person was not obliged to comply with the requirements, and that the head of the Crimean CEC department Ruslan Shambazov essentially treated her personal Facebook page as a registered media outlet.

In April 2024, a Russian court in Crimea fined the Crimean Tatar human rights activist and citizen journalist Lutfiye Zudieva, finding her guilty of “abusing the freedom of mass information.

On May 7, 2024 Crimean human rights activist, journalist Lutfiye Zudieva was handed a warning from the Russian Center for Combating Extremism.

In June 2024, he Russia-controlled Kyiv District Court of Simferopol considered the appeal against the verdict fining the human rights activist and journalist Lutfiye Zudieva and upheld the ruling to impose an administrative penalty on her.

The freedom of speech situation in Ukraine unrelated to Russia’s war

Physical aggression

Obstruction of reporting — 2

1. Kryvyi Rih official interferes with Pershyi Kryvorizkyi reporter’s work

03.09.2025 The online news outlet Pershyi Kryvorizkyi says that Kryvyi Rih City Council official Viktoria Samoylenko (Tretyak) obstructed the work of their journalist Yelyzaveta Makarcheva at a Zhadan i Sobaky concert in Khartia Hub on 2 September. The media outlet reported on the incident on 3 September; their crew was present at the event.

According to the news outlet, a deputy representing the Vilkul Bloc “Ukrainian Perspective” went on stage during the band’s performance to make a speech about the Khartia Hub opening and expressed her regret that Oleksandr Vilkul, son of the acting mayor of Kryvyi Rih who calls himself the chair of the City Defense Council, was absent at the concert.

The news outlet learned by submitting a query that the Kryvyi Rih City Council’s executive committee had created the City Defense Council on 25 February 2022 and appointed Oleksandr Vilkul as chair. Pershyi Kryvorizkyi reports that it is unclear who nominated him or whether there was a vote, and that there is no document outlining the Council’s composition or tasks.

The concertgoers responded to the speech by chanting “Shame!”

After the speech, Viktoria Tretyak, who calls herself the deputy chair of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, walked to the part of the makeshift stage where reporters stood and began to shove a Pershyi Kryvorizkyi journalist and interfere with her work.

“As I was filming, I was moving around to get good shots, and, apperently, got in the way of Viktoria’s watching the concert. She pushed me away several times, grabing me by the bag, the arms, the torso. She said, ‘How dare you?’ and then took a picture of me.

“I was displeased, because I was just doing my job. I didn’t want a conflict, because I usually prefer to solve various situations not with brawls but with words. I just wanted to finish my work at the concert and listen to the songs. I felt injustice and disgust,” said Yelyzaveta.

The news outlet considers the official’s actions as pressure on the media and insists on a review of her behavior at the standing commission on legality, law and order, deputies’ work, regulations, ethics, and freedom of speech.

Pershyi Kryvorizkyi CEO Sofia Skyba says that the team would send an address to the City Council to that effect in the coming days.

“Such behavior is unacceptable for a person who supposedly represents the interests of the Kryvyi Rih community. Our media outlet is under constant pressure from local authorities and dubious government bodies. We are used to our queries being ignored — the absence of an answer is an answer in itself. But we will not tolerate unethical behavior, verbal and especially physical abuse. We demand a public apology,” Sofia Skyba says.

2. Chetverta Vlada journalist faces obstruction while filming acting mayor’s party handing out humanitarian aid

08.09.2025 Chetverta Vlada journalist Serhiy Turovych faced obstruction and violent threats while filming the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Rivne Razom reception office on 4 September, Chetverta Vlada reports.

According to the news outlet, the journalist saw people queueing to receive free packs of macaroni near the public reception office of the Rivne Razom party, headed by Rivne’s acting mayor Viktor Shakyrzyan. The jounalist observed that the queue was mostly made up of elderly people who told him that the office sometimes handed out cooking oil as well.

Serhiy Turovych learned that to receive humanitarian aid, people must show their pensioner certificate and share their phone number at the Rivne Razom party reception office. The media outlet points that even though the people in the queue realised this was the party’s method of collecting their personal data, none of them were particularly bothered by it. People explained to the journalist that an opportunity to receive free groceries was very important for them, since their pensions were very low and such aid made their lives easier.

“The collected data is later used to greet someone on their birthday, for example. To text someone a reminder about some holiday and the like,” explained to Chetverta Vlada Andriy Tokarskyi, the head of the Civic Network Opora in Rivne.

Serhiy Turovych says that he showed his press ID and explained that he was on the job upon entering the reception office. He managed to film the office manager Ivanna Odeychuk writing down people’s data on a laptop while another woman was bringing out the macaroni. Then the women began to push the journalist out of the room, accusing him of being a provocateur and interfering with their work.

“You see how Chetverta Vlada journalists behave,” Ivanna Odeychuk told the crowd. Then the audience began to chase and shove the journalist. Many of those present also asked him whether he was eligible for the draft.

Later, one of the two women working in the reception office, Olena Symkiv, demanded that the journalist leave the area and said that the distribution of groceries would only resume after he left. Turovych had to leave the office because the crowd had become aggressive.

“Finally, sympathizing with the people in line, I left the reception office. Right as I made it past the exit I heard that I was a ‘jerk.’ A burly man in his seventies was shouting at me. […] He saied that I needed to ‘go to the front line’ instead of doing ‘provocations’. I explained that I had been in the army. The response to my words was quite indifferent, ‘I have been in the army too!’” said Serhiy Turovych.

The journalist added that he had decided against calling the police out of sympathy for the people wanting to get free macaroni and unwillingness to “make a show.”

In late April and June, the police closed two proceedings related to obstruction of reporting faced by Chetverta Vlada journalists.

Threats — 1

1. Kyiv Independent reports pressure by Fire Point for reporting on the NABU probe into the company

03.09.2025 The Kyiv Independent chief editor Olha Rudenko says the news outlet has faced pressyre by the management of Fire Point following their report about the investigation into the company’s activities by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), according to Olha Rudenko’s Facebook post.

Rudenko says that their team had received a letter from the Fire Point CEO, Yehor Skalyha, demanding a retraction of their report saying that NABU was investigating the company’s activities.
The Kyiv Independent chief editor Olha Rudenko/Photo by Olha Rudenko on Facebook

“According to our sources, this probe also includes looking into the companies’ possible overstatement of prices for the drones it supplied to the state, as well as the company’s alleged ties with Tymur Mindich, a businessman close to the President,” Rudenko wrote.

She added that the letter provided no grounds for a retraction.

“The main argument was a letter from NABU which in no way contradicts the facts reproted in our article. The letter says that there is an investigation, but does not say whether Fire Point is a subject of it, citing the secrecy of the investigation. That’s all. There has been no refutation,” Rudenko noted.

The journalist also reported that the Fire Point CEO had told the editorial team that he would file a statement with the SBU regarding a crime committed by the news outlet.

“Under articles on high treason and aiding the aggressor state. Because he believes our article to be ‘directed by unknown customers’ and ‘designed to disrupt Ukraine’s missile program,’” she quoted.

Olha Rudenko emphasized that this is attemptted pressure.

“I consider this threat to be nothing more than attempted pressure on the media outlet, the aim being to intimidate not just us, but also other journalists who may take interest in the company’s activities,” the chief editor explained.

Rudenko added that she was making the situation public “considering who this company may be connected to and how these connections may affect the SBU’s willingness to launch an investigation like this.”

On 29 August, The Kyiv Independent released an article alleging that Fire Point, the manufacturer of drones and Flamingo missiles, was likely abusing the state procurement program by gouging the prices. It also mentioned the company’s possible ties to Tymur Mindich, a businessman close to the President, and it being one of the largest recipients of defense contracts.

NABU issued an official statement later, on 29 August: “In response to numerous media inquiries, we would like to inform you that NABU and SAPO are not investigating the Flamingo missiles mentioned in the media.”

Indirect pressure

Stalking — 1

1. The Kyiv Independent CEO Daryna Shevchenko reports stalking

30.09.2025 The Kyiv Independent CEO Daryna Shevchenko says there has been an incident near her house which she considers to be harassment, according to a Facebook post by the news outlet’s chief editor Olha Rudenko.

Rudenko said that an unknown man had come to the house where Daryna Shevchenko lives on 30 September to collect information about her. He interviewed her neighbors, showed them her photo, took pictures of the entrance door and the hallway door on her floor.

“This guy was escorted to the building by employees of the local housing office. They say that he showed them a badge, but do not say what kind of badge. They are obviously scared. The police will be questionioning them now. Daryna has filed a statement about stalking,” Olha Rudenko said.

She added that the news outlet’s CEO had no personal conflicts or open proceedings that this incident may relate to.

“Our only theory is that it has to do with her work as the CEO of The Kyiv Independent and our journalism. Such gathering of information could have been done as part of some pre-trial investigation or simply as a means of pressure,” explained Olha Rudenko.

She added that she did not want to throw any baseless accusations around.

“But there are not many kinds of badges that can scare people the way these housing office employees were scared,” Rudenko wrote.

The Kyiv Independent chief editor posted a screenshot from CCTV camera footage featuring the man who was collecting information about Daryna Shevchenko, and asked to help identify him.