Police have opened criminal proceedings regarding obstruction of the professional activities of journalist Yevhen Lesny
National Police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings, entered information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (ERDR) and started a pre-trial investigation following the appeal of Iryna Gerashchenko, a People’s Deputy from the “European Solidarity” faction, regarding the obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalist Yevhen Lesny. Earlier, Lesnoi resigned from one of the TV channels of the telethon and declared the presence of censorship.
“We inform you that on 25.07.2025, on the instructions of the deputy head of the investigation department of the Shevchenkiv police department, based on the facts stated in your application, information was entered into the ЕРДР #12025105100001173 and a pre-trial investigation was started on the grounds of the commission of a criminal misdemeanor, provided for in part 1 of article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstructing the legitimate professional activity of a journalist)”. – it is said in the answer to the deputy’s request.
It will be recalled that on July 14, journalist Yevhen Lesnoy, in the article “Personal experience of working in the Yedyni Novyny telethon”, published on the “Detector Media” website, made a number of accusations regarding the editorial policy of the TV channel he worked for in 2024-2025.
Although he wouldn’t name the specific channel due to a signed non-disclosure agreement, emphasizes:
“Everything that happens where I worked is not much different from what happens on other Ukrainian TV channels, which produce content for the marathon at state expense. The marathon generally does not welcome any speakers who criticize the government. The news producers constantly asked the editor-in-chief if it was possible to take the comment of a certain expert. And the answer did not come immediately – because the approval came “from above”. A journalist always has ways to convey important things – through comments speakers. But when these synchronicities are “cut off” to the point of impersonality, it is called censorship. One and a half years of work, one of my stories was taken off the air. The reason is the participation of Inna Sovsun in it.
