ZN.UA published document from Presidential Administration with order to hold journalist accountable

ZN.UA (‘Dzerkalo Tyzhnia’) published the document with an order from the Presidential Administration to the Prosecutor General Vitaly Yarema to hold accountable the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia journalist Dmytro Mendeleyev for his article about governmental companies’ violations in arms sale. The document also contains classified information, which has been blacked out.

The editorial office published this document as a response to the President claiming his administration issued no such order.

The published document is the minutes of the President’s meeting with the security officials.

Its Paragraph 20 reads as follows: ‘To conduct the inspection and if the fact of the crime of disruption of the state’s defence capacity is proven to hold accountable the author of the article about sale of weapons and military property published on the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia website.’ 

Mendeleyev’s article, ‘Shadow of War’, exposed the enterprises and intermediator firms under the state concern ‘Ukroboronprom’ sellinf arms to Ukraine’s defenders during the hostilities. The Ministry of Defense and ‘Ukroboronprom’ filed a lawsuit agasint Dzerkalo Tyzhnia and Mendeleyev to restore their business reputation.

On October 18, the President of Ukraine Petro Poposhenko made a statement that during his presidency the Ministry of Defense and ‘Ukroboronprom’ were not selling arms on the domestic market and accused Dzerkalo Tyzhnia of violating the standards of journalism.

Later, Poposhenko called it nonsense that this journalist would be subjected to the prosecutor’s office’ inspection for his investigation.