Poltava Oblast Council official Mykola Koretskyi called the newspaper Kremenchutska Hazeta a “kilogram of crap” and insulted chief editor Oleh Bulashev, during the Council’s 27 March session, which was livestreamed online, reports Nadia Kucher, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Poltava oblast.
Koretskyi also alleged that the newspaper and Vizyt TV were working for the Ukrainian businessman Kostyantyn Zhevaho (CEO of Ferrexpo, beneficiary of the Finance and Credit Bank, who is involved in several criminal law proceedings by the State Bureau of Investigation).
“There are many rumors going around in Kremenchuk about the editors of these news outlets, in particular about Olezhka [Bulashev], that they are fun guys, there are many songs about them. [That they are like] wonderful rainbow-coloured pencils. But I’m not talking about their orientation, I’m talking about something else…” Koretskyi tried to continue, but his microphone was switched off.
The Poltava Oblast Council chair, Oleksandr Bilenkyi, reprimanded Koretskyi.
“I would like to address Mykola Koretskyi! You always say a prayer during sessions, and now you’re insulting people personally. This is not normal. You should be consistent,” he said.
To this, Koretskyi replied that Ukraine was a free country with freedom of speech where everyone had the right to express their opinion. He also continued insulting the journalists, calling them Zhevaho’s “scribbling minions”.
“They roam the Oblast Council freely. Doesn’t this pose a threat to our country?” demanded Mykola Koretskyi.
Kremenchutska Hazeta chief editor Oleh Bulashev, said in a comment to the IMI representative that the he believed the official’s remarks to be retaliation for a news article discussing the city authorities leasing church premises to a fund affiliated with Koretskyi.
As previously reported, in November 2025, Taras Panasenko, head of the housing and communal services department of the Poltava City Council, accused Poltavshchyna journalists during a briefing of making an error in their comparison of the types of salt that the city planned to purchase, and reprimanded the journalists for the news story.
Deputy Chair of the Poltava City Council Taras Panasenko believes that Poltavshchyna‘s content is the staff’s own opinions rather than journalism.