On 12 August, the Frankivskyi District Court of Lviv dismissed the defamation claim against NGL.media filed by lawyer Oleksiy Shevchuk without trial. The case had been under review for nearly five months, NGL.media‘s defense attorney Yevhen Vorobiov reported to ZMINA.
Vorobiov said that the case had been an odd one, since Shevchuk was challenging several sentences within a news story by the media outlet. The sentences were phrased as a generalised conclusion drawing on at least nine sources, which the defense explained during the proceedings.
Vorobiov added that NGL.media journalists had repeatedly reached out to Shevchuk for comment while working on the article in question, but Shevchuk either refused to talk or replied in a way that suggested an unwillingness to engage.
“In other words, he was given the right to respond and the opportunity to state his position, but he chose not to,” the lawyer explained.
He also spoke about the evidence in the case. He had asked the court to obtain certain court rulings and a verdict which he thought to feature Shevchuk. The claimant’s side, however, objected to these motions.
“It was somewhat of a paradox: a person goes to court seeking to have their honour and reputation defended, but refuses to assist in establishing all the details in the case and objects to the examination of evidence that could have helped the court form a complete picture,” Vorobiov said.
The decision to dismiss the claim without trial resulted from Shevchuk’s repeated failure to appear in court, the lawyer said. He did not attend the 29 July hearing and did not report the reason for his absence. Since this was his first failure to attend, the court adjourned the hearing.
On 11 August, Shevchuk and his representative failed to attend again. At that point, defence counsel asked the court to dismiss the claim without trial under Article 257 of the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine. The court granted the motion.
Vorobiov also commented on Shevchuk’s claims of alleged pressure on the judge, on the grounds that NGL.media’s lawyer had been permitted to join the hearings via video call while Shevchuk’s representative was not. Vorobiov said he had asked to join via the Video Conference Connection (VKZ) system, whereas Shevchuk’s representative was using EasyCon. Since the court did not have access to EasyCon, Shevchuk’s representative could not be connected through that software.
Vorobiov added that the proceedings had been going on for almost a year and that both him and the team had had to spend considerable resources on it. In addition to preparing procedural documents and taking part in hearings, Vorobiov analysed a large body of reporting, gathered evidence, and prepared the legal position.
“It’s difficult to give an exact figure for the costs right now, but we’re talking about substantial resources, because this really is a complex case. The NGO Human Rights Platform provided assistance in this aspect,” he stressed.
It is unclear whether Shevchuk will appeal. The law does allow a ruling to dismiss a claim without trial to be challenged.
If Shevchuk attempts to have the case reopened for examination on the merits, Vorobiov considers NGL.media’s position strong and well-founded. He also described dismissing the claim without trial as the most favourable possible outcome for the case.
Previously
Lawyer Oleksiy Shevchuk sued the news outlet NGL.media on 3 March 2026, demanding 100 thousand hryvnias in moral damages. The team said that the lawsuit had been triggered by their Facebook post saying that NGL.media was joining a statement by civil society organisations demanding Shevchuk’s withdrawal from the competition commission that is to select candidates for the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
In January 2026, several civil society organisations and news outlets addressed Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko asking to cancel the appointment of lawyer Oleksiy Shevchuk to the competition commission that will be selecting top officials for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
They argued that the lawyer did not meet the integrity and reputation requirements outlined by the law. Shevchuk has been repeatedly banned or suspended from practicing law for suspected involvement in schemes to smuggle conscripts abroad, has supported “dictatorial bills”, and has a dubious background in terms of media coverage and political work. The organisations believe that Shevchuk’s involvement undermined the legitimacy of the competition. They demanded that his appointment be cancelled and he be replaced as a member of the commission.
Oleksiy Shevchuk has been featured in multiple articles by NGL.media. Namely, in the investigation into abuses of the Shlyakh system. Journalists found out that most of the organisations adding volunteers to the database had ties to him as a freelance advisor to the head of the Lviv OMA at the time.
Oleksiy Shevchuk was also mentioned in reports about the disappearance of almost 10 thousand tactical first-aid kits supplied to the UAF by the US in Lviv. NGL.media tried to get his comment on the shipment, but their requests were ignored.
The news outlet has also reported on the 19 December 2023 decision by the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar (QDC) in Kyiv oblast to deprive Shevchuk of the right to practice law due to ethical violations.