22 October 2014
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and Ukroboronprom, a state holding company of the biggest defense-related enterprises, have filed a libel suit against the zn.ua news site for articles published in September and October that alleged they sold armaments and hardware to the volunteer battalions, which sometimes used public donations to buy them, said Yulia Mostova, the site’s chief editor, in an interview published on Oct. 21 on another Ukrainian news site. The two plaintiffs are seeking protection of their business reputations and a retraction of the information published. In her newspaper’s defense, Mostova said she has documents proving the deals took place.
The article’s author, Dmytro Mendeleyev, alleged in the October follow-up article that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko – who denied such sales took place – ordered the Prosecutor General to file criminal charges against him for “undermining the state’s ability to defend itself” should investigators determine a crime was committed. He based his claim on a document issued by the Presidential Administration that was scanned and published with the article.
Poroshenko denied issuing any such order, calling it fake information. “That’s nonsense! The opposite is true. As a result of journalist investigations, state enterprises, bureaucrats, officials or another ministry will be held responsible if the information is confirmed,” he told journalists at an Oct. 21 press conference.
Zenon Zawada: Poroshenko has demonstrated a habit of declaring politically correct and populist statements when they have no basis in reality. We doubt the scanned document published on the website of a reputable newspaper is a fake. Therefore, Poroshenko was covering for either his own rash reaction in issuing such an order, or the mistake of a subordinate.
What’s worth taking away from this incident is that the new authorities are still stuck in a post-Soviet mindset in its knee-jerk reaction of targeting a news site. Poroshenko made his politically correct statement yesterday likely with the help of his younger, savvier advisors. But the president would demonstrate a progressive approach if he initiates an independent investigation of the bodies themselves that are accused of corruption. Such an investigation can even produce political dividends considering a new defense minister is in place and the responsibility for corruption can be solely placed on his predecessor.