Soshychne community head, Ihor Volosiuk, will be tried for refusing to provide the information requested by Syla Pravdy journalist Iryna Kravchuk. A representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights reported an administrative offense by the official to the Kamin-Kashyrskyi district court on 2 October, reports Syla Pravdy. The community leader may be fined for withholding information about the budget funds allocated to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as per the letter by Oleksandr Korniychuk, the representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in Rivne oblast.
In June 2025, Syla Pravdy journalist Iryna Kravchuk submitted queries to all 54 communities in Volyn, asking how much money each community had allocated to support the Defense Forces. The information was necessary for the study “How Volyn communities helped the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2024”. All communities except Shshychne provided a reply.
The village council officials promised during a phone call with the journalist to provide the requested information later, but never followed through, forcing Iryna Kravchuk to report a violation of her right to access information to the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets.
Oleksandr Korniychuk, the Human Rights Commissioner in Rivne oblast, reported in a response letter that he had summoned the Soshychne village mayor Ihor Volosiuk for explanations but was ignored.
“In order to ensure the violated right is restored, the village mayor was invited to provide explanations regarding the violation of the Law and to draw up a protocol on an administrative offense. As of 02.10.2025, the village mayor failed to appear at the appointed time, sent a letter notifying that he would be absent, but provided no supporting documents to explain the reasons for his failure to appear as instructed. In view of this, on 02.10.2025, a protocol on an administrative offense under Article 188-40 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses was drawn up and sent to the Kamin-Kashyrskyi District Court of Volyn oblast,” the Commissioner’s letter says.
The administrative code article in question (failure to comply with the lawful requirements of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Commissioner for Human Rights or the Commissioner’s representatives) calls for a fine of 1,700 to 3,400 hryvnias.
As the news outlet notes, this is not the first time that the Soshychne village council has ignored requests for access to public information. Last year, Syla Pravdy requested the same information in an official letter, but was denied as well. After the journalists contacted the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Commissioner for Human Rights, the village council provided a response.