Ukraine - October 2024

The editorial board of the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda accused the Ukrainian president’s office on 9 October of intentionally obstructing its reporting and attempting to prevent state officials of speaking with its journalists. In its statement, Ukrainska Pravda also alleged that the president’s office had successfully pressured advertisers not to cooperate with the newspaper in an effort to deprive it of revenue. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the newspaper of undermining his administration at the behest of his political rivals. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the administration to end any pressure on Ukrainska Pravda. The official accused of orchestrating the pressure, communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, did not respond to Ukrainska Pravda or CPJ but denied the allegations in an interview with the media outlet Liga.net.  

Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, Kyiv Independent, Detektor Media, Liga.net

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin resigned on 22 October, taking responsibility for revelations that dozens of prosecutors and other civil servants under his administration had arranged to be falsely classified as ‘disabled’ as a means of avoiding military conscription. Officials in Khmelnytskyi Oblast reportedly falsified documents in exchange for cash, and investigators reportedly recovered USD 6 million in cash when searching the regional Medical and Social Expertise Commissions office. The scandal comes as Ukraine continues to struggle to meet military recruitment goals and assure Western officials that the country’s anti-corruption drive is making gains. 

Sources: Reuters, New Voice of Ukraine, Censor.net