Eight Ukrainian media outlets defy court ban to publish blocked SBI investigation
In a dramatic show of journalistic solidarity, eight of Ukraine’s leading news outlets on Friday defied a court-ordered injunction, jointly publishing a blocked investigative report into the family of a prominent law enforcement official.
The participating outlets issued a blistering joint statement that condemned the judicial gag order as an act of blatant state censorship.
The original report, produced by OCCRP’s Ukrainian partner Slidstvo.Info and the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), details the acquisition of 143 real estate properties in Kharkiv by the brother of Oleksandr Sukhachov, the director of Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
On July 6, Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District Court prohibited Slidstvo.Info, AntAC, and journalist Alina Stryzhak from disclosing information about the properties. The preemptive ban, issued before the investigation was even released, sparked a public outcry and condemnation from Ukrainian and international civic organizations.
In response, a coalition of newsrooms formed "Initiative 143"—named for the number of properties uncovered in the report—and published the full text on Friday. The participating outlets include Ukrainska Pravda, Suspilne, Schemes (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), Hromadske, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, NV, Bihus.Info, and the YouTube news project Toronto Television.
Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of AntAC, said the investigation and subsequent censorship attempt demonstrate the urgent need to reform the SBI. "This court decision is a very dangerous precedent," Kaleniuk said. "We are convinced that right now they are simply testing a tool on AntAC and Slidstvo.Info on how to ban journalists from exposing corruption."
Maksym Savchuk, a journalist and co-author of the investigation, said on July 7 that the reporting took several months. "We found a lot of interesting things — in particular, 143 apartments and office premises that belonged or belong to the elder Sukhachov, and we also uncovered threads leading to the State Bureau of Investigation, which is headed by his brother," Savchuk said.
The legal dispute began after Stryzhak sent requests for comment on June 24 to SBI Director Sukhachov and real estate developer Parkovyi-2 LLC regarding the properties.
Instead of responding, the developer sought a court order to block the journalists from disseminating the information. The application reached the court on Friday, July 3. By Monday morning, July 6—as the capital was recovering from an overnight Russian assault—Judge Serhiy Vovk had granted the injunction.
Judge Vovk reportedly ruled that publishing the details could cause irreparable harm to a private individual that could not be remedied after the report’s release, noting the SBI director’s brother did not give permission for the disclosure. The court also found publication would violate Parkovyi-2 LLC’s commercial secrets.
Ukrainian lawyer and media expert Liudmyla Pankratova told Slidstvo that while national legislation does allow for banning the dissemination of material before publication, such strict restrictions require careful analysis of journalists’ rights. Pankratova described the ruling as "a gross interference in the activities of independent media" that will encourage others to seek similar preliminary restrictions.
Anna Babinets, editor-in-chief and founder of Slidstvo.Info, told OCCRP that the preemptive injunction is "not a typical SLAPP for Ukraine," referring to strategic lawsuits against public participation.
"We don’t remember cases when an investigation was banned before it was even published," Babinets said. "In essence, a journalist submitted a request for information, and based solely on the questions in that request, the court decided that the investigation could not be published."
Babinets called the coordinated release an "extraordinary act of solidarity," noting that the participating newsrooms risk exposing themselves to legal action. However, she said the release demonstrated "that banning one newsroom from publishing would only trigger a wave of publications by others."
The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine highlighted Friday’s unified publication effort, echoing the severe concerns raised by participating editors regarding press freedom.
"A preliminary court injunction on the publication of journalistic material is one of the most dangerous forms of interference with freedom of speech," said Sevgil Musaieva, editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda. "In fact, this is an attempt to introduce prior censorship."
Slidstvo noted that Ukraine has committed to introducing anti-SLAPP legislation by 2027 in line with European Union standards, arguing that blocking an investigation into the inner circle of a key law enforcement agency head effectively violates the state’s European integration commitments.
According to Slidstvo, Parkovyi-2 LLC formally filed a lawsuit on July 13 against Slidstvo.Info, AntAC, and Stryzhak. The developer alleged the journalists unlawfully collected personal data and commercial secrets.
Slidstvo.Info has filed an appeal against the court’s initial injunction. A hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Deputy Editor
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