Supreme Court closes Portnov vs. Chesno Movement case

The Supreme Court has overturned the rulings of the first instance and appellate courts in the lawsuit by the late Andriy Portnov, ex-deputy head of Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, against the Chesno Movement, and has closed the proceedings, Chesno Movement reports.

Portnov had sued the group over information contained in his profile on the Chesno Movement’s Traitors Register. He sought to have it removed and retracted. The Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv had previously granted his claim and ordered the organisation to take the profile down and pay upwards of 232,000 hryvnias in legal fees. On appeal, the sum was reduced to 83,700 hryvnias.

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The Chesno Movement challenged these rulings. On 19 August 2026, the Supreme Court overturned the lower courts’ rulings and closed the case. The grounds for closing the case were that Portnov had died and disputes of this kind do not allow for succession of the claim by another party.

The Supreme Court also agreed with the organisation’s arguments that the previous courts had violated the parties’ procedural rights by having tried the case without summoning the parties despite objections raised to that effect.

The Chesno Movement described the Supreme Court’s ruling as important for protecting freedom of expression and the right of civic organisations to cover the activities of public figures.

Andriy Portnov and his lawsuits against Ukrainian media outlets

Andriy Portnov was infamous for his lawsuits against Ukrainian media outlets, which he usually won.

On 26 December 2024, the Media Movement expressed concern with Ukrainian courts repeatedly granting Portnov’s claims against the media and civil society organizations. This is happening despite the considerable reasons to view his activities critically.

Hromadske’s chief investigator, Media Movement member Yaroslava Volvach submitted a petition calling on the Cabinet of Ministers to apply NSDC sanctions to Andriy Portnov. The Media Movement endorsed the petition.

The Media Movement also addressed the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and the High Council of Justice with an appeal to ensure transparency and objectivity in considering cases related to public figures such as Andriy Portnov. They asked that judicial decisions in these cases be reviewed for their compliance with the standards of justice and judicial ethics.

On 28 December 2024, Andriy Portnov, through his representative Karina Mikityan, appealed to the government with a demand to take the petition down. As Portnov’s representative explained, posting the petition about him violated Portnov’s rights and freedoms, and therefore was in violation of the law.

On 8 January Andriy Portnov sent an address to multiple media outlets and civil society organizations saying that he considered the Media Movement’s call to introduce sanctions against him “ratting” motivated by vengefulness and hostility.

In June 2026, the Supreme Court overturned the rulings by the first instance court and the court of appeal in the lawsuit by the late Andriy Portnov, the former deputy head of Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, against Hromadske.