Oleg Sukhov

Over the past year, Ukrainian independent media have stepped up investigations into corruption among top officials and abuse in the military, despite the constraints and risks of Russia’s full-scale invasion.   Yet this work is coming at a cost. Ukrainian media have faced a wave of lawsuits, controversial court rulings, threats, and smear campaigns on social media. "An environment is gradually taking shape in which it is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists to do their jobs," Inna V

The detention of two Ukrainian journalists in Austria earlier this month while conducting an investigation has highlighted deeper systemic concerns. Mykhailo Tkach and Yaroslav Bondarenko were investigating a former Ukrainian prosecutor general who had fled Ukraine and settled in Vienna. Austria has increasingly come under scrutiny for providing refuge to individuals wanted in connection with corruption cases in Ukraine, as well as Russian officials and oligarchs. Meanwhile, several senior Aus

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on Oct. 21 searched the premises of Andriy Pyshnyi, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

The EU has demanded a reform of Ukraine's notoriously corrupt and politicized prosecution service and called for making the procedure for picking the prosecutor general less political and more merit-based. Meanwhile, anti-corruption activists and pro-reform lawmakers have accused the Ukrainian authorities of sabotaging rule of law reforms and resisting the demand for depoliticizing the Prosecutor General's Office.

Tetiana Montian, a Ukrainian-born blogger, has supported Russia's aggression against Ukraine but at the same time accused the Russian authorities of incompetence and corruption.

Correction: Leonid Ragozin's travel data has been corrected. Latvia's decision last week to declare Russian-born journalist and blogger Leonid Ragozin persona non grata has drawn attention to a broader trend: Russians who once presented themselves as opponents of Vladimir Putin are now accused of echoing Kremlin narratives. Some now live in Europe, taking advantage of the freedom and security that their adopted countries provide to broadcast their views. Ironically, some of them blame the Eur

The release from custody of Iryna Mudra, a former deputy head of the President’s Office, last week followed an unusual development. While Ukrainians had been previously accustomed to corruption suspects easily escaping justice, now the trend was the opposite. Mudra had the money to pay the bail but banks refused to process payments for posting it, fearing that they could be accused of taking part in money laundering. Furthermore, decreasing political protection for corruption suspects may moti

In 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and another Russian official, Maria Lvova-Belova, for "unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

The acclaimed journalist was reportedly on an editorial assignment in Vienna with his colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko when he was detained by Austrian authorities.

Tatarov is one of Ukraine's most controversial officials. He was charged with bribery in 2020 but the case was later closed due to alleged obstruction by law enforcement agencies and courts.

The Ukrainian judicial watchdog Dejure argued in June that "rather than improving the integrity declaration system, (the integrity declarations law) effectively dismantles integrity declarations as a meaningful tool for holding judges accountable."

Viktor Kytsyuk is one of the most high-profile judges accused of issuing unlawful rulings against protesters during the the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, or Revolution of Dignity, which ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Anton Kovalsky, who was appointed as Ukraine's acting prosecutor general on Sept. 17, is taking over a prosecution service mired in scandal and controversy. His predecessor, Ruslan Kravchenko, fled Ukraine on Sept. 14 amid a large-scale investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into an alleged scam call center protection racket run from the Prosecutor General's Office. As a result of the investigation, a top prosecutor, described as a "confidant" of Kravchenko, was charged. P

Ukrainska Pravda cited records from Austria’s Central Register of Residents. According to the register, Kravchenko and his wife are registered on 7 Jordangasse, apartment 12 in downtown Vienna.

Lvov is one of Ukraine's most scandalous judges. He was fired from the Supreme Court in 2022 due to his concealed Russian citizenship.