Explanation of Kharkiv MP Iryna Honcharova regarding her comment about “shooting tax evaders”
In the conditions of a full-scale war, when Ukrainian society is faced with moral, legal and emotional challenges every day, the rhetoric of public figures and politicians acquires special importance. Every statement, photo of a representative of the government or a deputy causes a public resonance, especially if it touches on painful topics – in particular, the attitude to mobilization, defense of the state, voluntary or forced participation in the war. This is exactly what happened in the case of Iryna Goncharova-Bagaliy, a deputy of the Kharkiv City Council from the European Solidarity party, who on June 1, 2025 left a comment on social networks with the wording that caused a sharp negative reaction. About this IA “FACT” wrote in his analytical material.
The content of the comment of the deputy of the Kharkiv City Council
The platoon commander of the 92nd separate assault brigade named after Ivan Sirk, lawyer and public figure Leonid Maslov, in his Facebook post, cited a historical example of general mobilization in Finland during the Second World War, focusing on its scale, discipline and public attitude to evasion of military duty. His post was analytical in nature and contained contextual clarifications, which should probably become a subject for reflection in the current Ukrainian society regarding the fairness of the mobilization policy.
Under this post, Kharkiv City Council deputy Iryna Goncharova-Bahalii left a comment in which she indicated:
“Shooting a dozen dodgers for show is an attractive idea.”
Photo: screenshot of Iryna Goncharova’s Facebook comment
Goncharova’s statement immediately attracted the attention of other users, most of whom took this comment as a call for violence and public execution without trial and investigation. In response, dozens of critical comments appeared, in which the deputy’s actions were classified as unacceptable from the point of view of human rights, democracy, and the foundations of the constitutional order. The resonance was such that the post with the comment instantly spread in other social networks and Telegram channels.
Social media users showered Goncharova-Bagalia with angry comments: she was accused of inciting murder, hate speech, and dehumanization of Ukrainian citizens. Her words were called “rock bottom” and “an example of how the authorities finally lost their sense of limits.”
“As I understand it, the deputy is calling to kill people? Is this the bottom or does it get worse?” – they wrote under her comment. Others added: “And the lists will be compiled only among ordinary people, is it possible to add someone from the “neighborhood” for publicity?”. There were also sarcastic comments: they said that now it is enough to take a screenshot, and this is enough to apply for political asylum in the USA or Europe, referring to the deputy herself as the source of the threat.
One of the users addressed her directly:
“I’m sorry, deputy. I am currently applying for political protection in Europe. Can I, during this time, give your contacts in court so that you can confirm that the authorities of Ukraine are calling for the shooting of Ukrainians? Please confirm how you will be contacted. This will help you a lot, because such people who hate you will receive protection and will never again prevent you from building a country of first-class Ukrainians.”
Goncharova-Bagaliy tried to clarify her position, stating that deputies serve on a general basis, except for people’s deputies, and their relatives are not provided with a postponement. But instead of calming the debate, it only added fuel to the fire. In response, she was offered to compile a list of a dozen colleagues and their relatives who are evading service — “in particular, with fake disability certificates” — and send them to be shot first. There was even an ironic proposal to arrange a live broadcast of such an execution in a telethon.
At the same time, there were attempts at defense in the comments, saying that sarcastic or hyperbolic statements are often misinterpreted in the public space, especially in the environment of Facebook discussions.
Explanation of the deputy
In response to public outcry, Iryna Goncharova provided comment for “Gvara Media”, in which she explained her position. According to her, the initial content of the comment was not directly related to the current situation in Ukraine. She noted that she had in mind a historical example, in particular the actions of Carl Gustav Mannerheim during the Soviet-Finnish war. As the deputy explained, it was in this historical context that we were talking about strict disciplinary measures, which allegedly contributed to the organization of the armed forces.
She also stated that the increased attention to her comment was the result of an information and psychological operation (IPSO) carried out by Russian bots. Goncharova-Bahalii expressed her belief that her words were deliberately taken out of context, spread in pro-Russian public groups, and the purpose of this was to discredit pro-Ukrainian politicians and military figures.
The legal and moral plane of the commentary of Iryna Goncharova-Bagalii
Iryna Goncharova-Bahalii is a deputy of the Kharkiv City Council of the 8th convocation, elected from the “European Solidarity” party. She heads the standing committee on environmental policy. She was born on November 21, 1970 in Kharkiv. She has a higher medical education, candidate of medical sciences, specializes in psychiatry. He works as a psychiatrist in the Kharkiv City Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 3.
It is worth noting that Goncharova is not a public figure at the national level, but due to her profession and position in local self-government bodies, she is among the persons who are obliged to adhere to high standards of public broadcasting and ethics. Her professional experience also includes awareness of the psycho-emotional consequences of violence and the importance of careful wording, especially in the context of military conflict. She should know that regardless of intent or context, such statements have high emotional tension, which is especially dangerous in a situation where a country is at war and at the same time trying to maintain the rule of law.
From a legal point of view, Goncharova’s comment is not a direct call to action and does not constitute a criminal offense. However, in the moral and political dimension, the situation is much more complicated. Public figures in a democratic society are obliged to refrain from statements that could be interpreted as condoning executions or violating human dignity.
Iryna Goncharova’s explanation of her statement about the “execution of a dozen dodgers” looks like an attempt to shift the emphasis to a historical allusion, but the content of her initial comment does not give grounds to consider this a reliable interpretation. Even if the deputy meant a historical example, it was presented in an unacceptable way.
The phrase, which she wrote publicly and without any reservations or contextual clarifications, sounded like an endorsement of public violence directed against Ukrainian citizens who do not do military service. The wording “shoot for show” was not used in historical description or analysis, but as a reaction to modern reality. No reference to Finland, Mannerheim or the war of 1939-1940 emerges from the very content of the comment. Moreover, the words “attractive idea” leave no doubt that it was not about criticism or irony, but about approval as a method of influence.
The reference to IPSO and “cotton bots” looks like a distraction from the meaning of the phrase itself. Even if a comment is taken out of context, responsibility for its content remains.
In conclusion, the attempt to explain the emotional approval of repressive practices by “historical context” and to blame the information operation for the reaction looks like an avoidance of responsibility, rather than a sincere clarification of the position. A politician who does not know the wording or is not prepared to answer for his own words should not participate in public discourse – especially on matters of life, death and law.
The statement of Iryna Goncharova and the subsequent discussion around it once again testify to the complexity of the information field during a full-scale war. Society expects deputies to be balanced, to be precise in their wording, and to be responsible for what they say. At the same time, the situation itself demonstrated how easily a public comment can be used, taken out of context or provoke an uncontrolled reaction.
In addition, the photos on the Facebook page published by Goncharova-Bagaliy also have an ambiguous meaning, especially when the deputy of the city council of the front-line city writes about the beginning of her working week in the following format:
Photo: facebook.com/iryna.bagalij/
Photo: facebook.com/iryna.bagalij/
