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The Media Movement, together with the media and civil society organizations that have joined this statement, is concerned by signs of systematic pressure on investigative journalism exerted by state law enforcement agencies and calls on the State Bureau of Investigation to engage in open communication, while urging public authorities and the courts to strictly uphold guarantees of freedom of speech.
Over the course of several days, two developments have taken place in Ukraine which, in our view, together form a troubling pattern of pressure on media outlets investigating the activities of government and law enforcement institutions.
On July 7, the State Bureau of Investigation conducted searches of the home of Babel online media co-founder Oleksii Babenko, members of his family, and the office of Vyrii, the company he owns. So far, there has been no official information explaining why law enforcement authorities targeted Vyrii and its owner. However, the editorial team believes the searches may be linked to Babel’s high-profile investigation into deaths and torture in the Skelia assault regiment. Journalists have pointed out that the searches were preceded by a large-scale disinformation and smear campaign directed against Babel and Oleksii Babenko. Materials published by anonymous Telegram channels and websites with questionable reputations accused Babenko of deliberately acting to undermine the country's defense capabilities. In addition, on the eve of the searches, a fake report circulated claiming that a search of Babenko’s home had uncovered a large amount of foreign currency.
Earlier, Mykola "Kyianyn" Kharkhan, a serviceman of the Skelia regiment, recorded a video in which he referred to the investigation’s author, Kateryna Lykhohliad, as a "journalistic whore," accused her of carrying out a commissioned attack, and threatened that she would "have to cough up the money." Furthermore, the comments under the video included statements that could be interpreted as threats of retaliation, physical violence, and sexual violence. Such statements may have been intended to create an atmosphere of intimidation toward the journalist. Among them were comments such as: "Pretty girls, the Moscow rapists will like you," and "The journalistic whores who published unverified information and tarnished the name of the best unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine... should themselves be tied to ATVs," among others. As Babel editor-in-chief Kateryna Kobernyk noted, following the publication of the investigation, both she and the article’s author, Kateryna Lykhohliad, were forced to hire security, significantly affecting their lives.
At the same time, on July 6, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv (Judge Serhii Vovk) prohibited the Anti-Corruption Action Center, Slidstvo.Info, and journalist Alina Stryzhak from publishing an investigation into the assets, business dealings, and investments of Kharkiv businessman Oleksandr Sukhachov, the brother of Oleksii Sukhachov, Director of the State Bureau of Investigation. The ban was imposed as an interim measure before the lawsuit itself had even been filed, following an application submitted by Parkovyi-2 LLC, a company associated with the businessman, in response to a journalistic request for comment. This constitutes a prior restraint on unpublished journalistic material, issued within a single working day, solely in the interests of one party, without the participation of the respondents, and before the main proceedings had even been initiated. This arrangement bears the hallmarks of a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), while the mechanism itself is disproportionate and of questionable legality in light of Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine and Article 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
In light of these developments taken together, we see the sudden actions against Babel’s co-owner, carried out without public explanation, as well as the court-ordered ban on an investigation concerning the circle surrounding the Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, as possible indications of pressure on the media aimed at halting investigations of significant public interest—particularly those concerning violations of the law and human rights within the Defense Forces and potential corruption risks within the law enforcement system.
We call on the State Bureau of Investigation to communicate openly with the public regarding the reasons for the searches involving Oleksii Babenko and the drone manufacturing company Vyrii.
We warn public authorities, law enforcement agencies, and individual representatives of the Defense Forces against any attempts to pressure the editorial team of Babel, including through pressure on its owner. The Babel editorial team has stated that the investigative actions against its co-founder will not affect the ongoing journalistic investigation into events within the Skelia regiment.
We call on the command of the Defense Forces to publicly state its position regarding the threats made against media professionals by a representative of the Skelia regiment and to guarantee that journalists from Babel and other media outlets investigating alleged violations of the law and human rights within the military will not be subjected to any form of pressure or violence.
We call on law enforcement authorities to ensure an effective investigation into the threats of physical and sexual violence made against Babel journalists and to provide these incidents with an appropriate legal assessment.
We emphasize that a prior court ban on the publication of an investigation that has not yet been released constitutes a direct restriction on freedom of speech and sets a dangerous precedent. We call on the appellate court to overturn the ruling of the Pecherskyi District Court and urge the judiciary to refrain from normalizing such practices. We remind that Ukraine has committed to introducing anti-SLAPP legislation in line with EU standards by 2027, and judicial decisions that block journalists' work before publication contradict the state's European integration commitments.
Media Movement
Institute of Mass Information
Detector Media NGO
Ukraïner NGO
DII-Ukraine NGO
Women in Media NGO
Mezha Anti-Corruption Center
Lviv Media Forum
Nataliia Sokolenko
ZMINA Human Rights Center
Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy
Anna Kaliuzhna, war correspondent
Liudmyla Tiahnyriadno, Ukrainian Radio
Liga.net
Aliona Romaniuk, fact-checker, NotaYenota project
Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communication NGO
Dzerkalo Tyzhnia
“How Not to Become a Vegetable” Information Hygiene Initiative
Media Investigation Center "Prozoro" NGO
Center for Public Investigations NGO
ZHAR.INFO online media
Women's Anti-Corruption Movement NGO
Cherkasy Information Agency "18000" NGO
KROP-MEDIA MOVEMENT NGO
For reference. The Media Movement is a community that brings together journalists from leading Ukrainian media, investigative journalists, and experts from media NGOs. Media Movement was launched on February 5, 2019.
The first signatories of the Media Movement Memorandum were UA: Pershyi, Ukrainian Radio, Hromadske Radio, Ukrinform, Interfax-Ukraine, Liga.net, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Ukraine”, NV, ‘Censor.net’, Channel 5, ‘Ukrainian Week’, Opinion, several regional media, NGOs Independent Media Council, Detector Media, Institute of Mass Information, Internews Ukraine, Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, Souspilnist Foundation, National Association of Media, Donetsk Institute of Information, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, Zmina Human Rights Center.
The Movement was later joined by other organizations and individual journalists: more than 70 participants in total. On November 16, 2021, representatives of prominent media outlets called on journalists to unite in the professional community Media Movement to push back against political and commercial pressure on freedom of speech. The statement was initiated by 29 journalists and experts; their names are available here.
