MP Herashchenko: Police launch proceedings on censorship at telethon after journalist Lesnoy's claims
The National Police of Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings, entered information into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations and launched a pretrial investigation after an appeal by MP from the European Solidarity faction Iryna Herashchenko regarding obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalist Yevhen Lesnoy, who had previously resigned from one of the marathon television channels and claimed censorship on it.
"We inform you that on July 25, 2025, on behalf of the Deputy Head of the Investigation Department of the Shevchenko Police Department, based on the facts set forth in your appeal... information was entered into Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations under No. 12025105100001173 and a pretrial investigation was initiated on the grounds of committing a criminal offense under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstructing the lawful professional activities of a journalist)," the response to the MP's request, a scanned copy of which Herashchenko published on Facebook on Saturday morning, reads.
The parliamentarian also published a scanned copy of an extract from the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations on the opening of proceedings No. 12025105100001173, where she is declared a victim, which states: "On July 25, 2025, the inquiry department of Shevchenkivsky District Police Department of the Main Police Department in Kyiv received an appeal from MP Herashchenko I.V. regarding the commission of obstruction of the lawful professional activities of journalist Lesnoy Y.V.".
Herashchenko claims "political censorship and sweeping of the information field" and reported that European Solidarity sent relevant appeals about the commission of a criminal offense at the United News marathon not only to the National Police, but also to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, "from which we are still waiting for a reaction."
Meanwhile, in a comment to the statement, the MP says that European Solidarity representatives have not been given airtime for four years to express their position on bills being considered by the Verkhovna Rada, and "there has been no opposition on the Rada television channel for four years." "We are also looking forward to the meeting on this issue of the specialized committee on freedom of speech, which should shout about political censorship, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn," Herashchenko said.
On July 14, journalist Yevhen Lesnoy, in an article titled "Personal Experience of Working in the United News Telethon" published on the website of the Detector Media publication, made statements about censorship, a ban on opposition speakers and criticism of the authorities on the television channel where he worked in 2024-2025. However, he does not name which television channel of the telethon he is talking about, since upon dismissal he signed documents on non-disclosure of information, which could damage the reputation of the media, but noted that "everything that happens where I worked is not much different from what happens on other Ukrainian television channels that produce content for the marathon at government expense."
"In general, the marathon does not welcome any speakers who criticize the authorities. News producers constantly asked the editor-in-chief: is it possible to take a comment from a certain expert. And the answer did not come immediately – because the approval came 'from above." "A journalist always has ways to convey something important – through the speakers' comments. However, when these synchronicities are 'cut' to the point of complete depersonalization – journalism loses its meaning. This is called in one word: censorship. In a year and a half of work, one of my stories was taken off the air. The reason is the participation in it of the MP from Holos Inna Sovsun," Lesnoy said in his article, which he published on the occasion of his dismissal from the television channel, where he worked for a year and a half.