Ukrainian media defy court order to expose real estate scandal

The investigation centers on Oleksandr Sukhachov, a Kharkiv businessman and brother of Oleksii Sukhachov, the current head of the State Bureau of Investigation. Reporters discovered that Oleksandr acquired 143 properties, including flats and offices, at prices critics compare to the cost of a smartphone. In the IT-Park Manufactura complex alone, records indicate he secured 30 flats in 2018 for between €800 and €1,600 each, despite market rates being exponentially higher.

Judge Serhii Vovk, known for his controversial history including the 2012 conviction of Yurii Lutsenko, issued the interim injunction at the request of the developer, Parkovyi-2 LLC. The court claimed the publication would cause irreparable harm to the company. However, journalists argue the ruling serves as a tool for censorship, particularly given that the State Bureau of Investigation—led by the subject's brother—previously oversaw, then closed, a probe into the developer’s activities.

Following the court order, lead journalist Maksym Savchuk utilized a legal loophole to distribute the findings to other outlets, asserting he was not personally named in the injunction. The resulting project, titled Initiative 143, was published simultaneously by media including Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, and Bihus.info. Editors involved emphasized that the move was a necessary defense of press freedom, labeling the court's attempt to silence the investigation a dangerous precedent for democratic oversight in Ukraine.