A Facebook page impersonating Andriy Kulykov, Ukrainian radio host, Hromadske Radio co-founder, and Commission on Journalism Ethics (CJE) Chair, is being used to gather the contact details of Ukraine’s public figures, Andriy Kulykov told Institute of Mass Information journalist Valentyna Troyan.
Kulykov said that similar attempts by scammers to use his name to obtain the private contact data of well-known people have happened before. In one instance, unknown persons attempted to get the phone number of Ukraine’s ex-Prime Minister. However, an acquaintance of the journalist exercised caution and verified the information through a personal chat in a messenger app.
Andriy Kulykov stressed that this is at least the third time he has been impersonated on Facebook despite not having a page on the platform, as CJE has stated in a special announcement.
“I did join a social media platform at one point, back when it was still Twitter, because you have to write very concisely and to the point there, and that appealed to me,” Kulykov said.
The journalist’s colleagues, including media expert Ihor Rozkladai, have reported the fake account to Facebook support and asked for it to be suspended.
Kulykov said during a similar campaign over a year ago, a user complaint helped get the fake account taken down, but so far there has been no response from moderators regarding the new page.
In May 2025, unidentified individuals created a Facebook account impersonating human rights advocate and Centre for Civil Liberties director Oleksandra Matviychuk. The account was taken down following reports by users. In April 2024, unknown individuals also created accounts mimicking other public figures, including writer, journalist, and UAF servicemember Vakhtang Kipiani, former UAF Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, chairs of several regional military administrations, and journalist Otar Dovzhenko.
