A memorial service for journalist Heorhiy Gongadze was held in Kontraktova Square in Kyiv today, 16 September. The event featured speeches by Heorhiy’s widow, the journalist Myroslava Gongadze, as well as his friends and colleagues, report hromadske and Detector Media.
“The campaign ‘Find Journalist Gongadze’ and the subsequent awakening of Ukrainian society sparked major Ukrainian protests that led to multiple Ukrainian revolutions. Today marks 25 years since Heorhiy’s murder, and I am inspired by how Ukrainian society is fighting,” said Myroslava Gongadze.
She added that the most recent court hearing in the case on Heorhiy’s murder had taken place back in July 2021. The Supreme Court sentenced former police general Oleksiy Pukach, convicted of Gongadze’s murder, to life in prison. Still, the masterminds of the journalist’s murder have not been punished yet.
Myroslava Gongadze is convinced that there is “no political will” to bring this matter to closure.
Journalist Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey, who was gravely injured in a Russian strike on Kramatorsk in 2024, said that he was inspired by Gongadze’s values and zest for life and strived to emulate him in his work.
“Being a journalist is very dangerous now. Especially with a neighbor like Russia. I thank all journalists for what you are doing. You are fighting for Ukraine. And I am more than convinced that victory will be ours,” he said.
Ukrainska Pravda chief editor Sevgil Musaieva urged people to appreciate professional and passionate Ukrainians during their lifetime instead of only looking back at their legacy after they die.
“I think that Giya [Heorhiy Gongadze] felt lonely at some point. Many people who accepted the system’s terms could find fulfillment, go work on television. But he could not. That is why he had to found this news outlet [Ukrainska Pravda],” Musayeva said.
Heorhiy Gongadze went missing on 16 September 2000; his body was later found decapitated in a forest near Kyiv.
On 29 January 2013, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv sentenced Oleksiy Pukach to life in prison for Gongadze’s murder. The Supreme Court upheld Pukach’s sentence on 2 July 2021.
However, the person who ordered the murder of Heorhiy Gongadze has not been officially identified.
Gongadze was buried in Kyiv’s Podil on 22 March 2016. His grave is located on the territory of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the River. Heorhiy’s body had been stored in Kyiv’s central morgue for 16 years prior to the burial.