Akhmetov has the biggest presence in Ukraine's online media – IMI study

Over 600 mentions of Rinat Akhmetov's companies and foundations were found in Ukraine's top online media. This makes him the absolute leader among businesspeople in terms of media presence. The reports with signs of being commissioned which ultimately benefit Akhmetov mostly relate to the work of his charity foundations and the Metinvest corporation, as evidenced by the IMI's survey of popular Ukrainian online media, carried out on December 1, 2023 – January 9, 2024.*

59% of the mentions of Rinat Akhmetov's companies and foundations posted during the monitoring period referred to DTEK's announcements or work. Most of such materials can be considered socially important. However, some news items mentioning DTEK still appear to be commissioned. These include reports on the company's investment projects, the CEO's meetings with Western politicians, and other image-building materials.

20% of all mentions of Rinat Akhmetov's enterprises have signs of being commissioned and report on the work of his foundations. Some media outlets try to pass off their reports on these foubdations' smallest expenses, which do not bear any comparison with the total amount of resources and capabilities that Rinat Akhmetov's entities have. Still, the benefactor must be mentioned by name.

The corporation "Metinvest" is also widely present in the top online outlets. Reports in its favor make up more than 18% of all materials devoted to Rinat Akhmetov's businesses. A significant share of them also aims to capitalize on the topics of war and charity.

The remaining 3% of materials related to Rinat Akhmetov are about him personally; several reports also mention "Ukrtelecom" and the Kyiv TSUM.

The fewest (3) mentions of Rinat Akhmetov's structures during the monitoring period were found on the website Zaxid.net. Each of those reports can be considered socially important.

Most of the news favourable to Akhmetov and his property were posted by RBC-Ukraine. In total, there were 100 of them during the period under study; most of them had signs of being commissioned.

Read more about the study's findings in the article "Akhmetov every day: how his image of a savior- benefactor is being manufactured".

*The monitoring was carried out on December 1, 2023 – January 9, 2024 in 22 popular online media outlets: "Babel", Suspilne, Hromadske, ZN.UA, "Ukrainian Pravda", "Espreso", Ukrinform, Liga.net, NV, LB.ua, RBC-Ukraine, Censor.Net, Interfax-Ukraine, TSN, Korespondent.net, Zaxid.net, Focus, UNIAN, Channel 24, Gordon, Telegraf, Obozrevatel.

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a public media organization that has been operating since 1995. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.

The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).