The Kremlin’s Telegram network: which channels discredit judicial reform and civil activists?

A network of nearly 30 Telegram channels discredits judicial reform, honest judges, and leaders of civil organizations monitoring the reform of the judiciary.

This network includes channels run by Andriy Portnov, who, during Yanukovych’s regime, was responsible for the courts, and lawyer Rostyslav Kravets, who opposed the Ukrainization of spelling and featured in scandalous “Vovk tapes.”

Also part of the network are channels of MPs Maxim Buzhansky and Oleksandr Dubinsky, the latter being accused of state treason. However, most channels in the network are anonymous.

These findings come from a study by the civic initiative “Holka.”

This network discredits honest judges, members of the High Council of Justice, and leaders of leading civil organizations, including Vitaliy Shabunin, the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, and Mykhailo Zhernakov, the chairman of the DEJURE Foundation.

“Judicial reform is one of the key tasks for strengthening statehood. The success of this reform determines not only the quality of justice but also the investment climate in Ukraine. A strong economy is one of the best allies for victory. Anonymous Telegram channels have become a tool for Russia’s information warfare. The social network, which Ukrainians consume the most news from, was founded by Russian Pavel Durov. Telegram channels legitimize at the highest state level — in the President’s Office — and yet Ukrainian legislation regulates traditional media and almost does not touch social networks,” emphasizes Irina Fedoriv, head of the civic initiative “Holka.”

The state already has experience in blocking YouTube channels that violate Google’s rules, the owner of this video hosting platform. But Telegram, founded by a Russian, remains completely unregulated, and this is unfair competition in the media market. Kostiantyn Kvurt, the head of Internews-Ukraine, emphasizes this:

“Telegram is cheap and dirty. Some traditional media outlets have built their reputation over centuries. Telegram, run by Russian Pavel Durov, will not talk about moderation, will not involve civil organizations to develop rules. Ukraine at the state level de facto legitimizes Telegram and does not even attempt to regulate this social network. The Antimonopoly Committee should act decisively, the Committee on Information Policy as well, and the National Council should raise questions. And the President’s Office should support this discourse because the president is the guarantor of the Constitution. All businesses disclose their beneficiaries, and the same should be true here, including tax payments because Telegram is also a business. And until the state does this, investigative journalists are left with no choice but to expose anonymous channels or conduct network analysis.”

The following Telegram channels are part of this network:

Rostyslav Kravets, Dubinskyi.pro, Maks Buzhansky, Andriy Portnov, AO “Kravets and Partners,” Pod Mantiyei, Sorosyata, Equilibrium, Resident, Borodataya Babushka, Zapiski Paskviylanta, Ukraine News, Tsibulya, SheptunUA Ukraine War, Nedotorkani, Shadow on the Plait, Politics of the Country, Anti-Raid, Scar, Ukrainian Independent Foundation of Lawyers, Pavlovsky News, Golubtsi with Bankova, Dark Knight, ZeRada, Legitimate, Law and Business, Judicial Legal Newspaper, Elena Lukash.

Note: The study covered almost 60 Telegram channels that were included in the selection (over 21,000 reposts). These reposts were analyzed for information about judicial reform and those associated with it. As a result, almost 30 Telegram channels were identified that create an information field to hinder judicial reform and discredit those who implement it.

Data collection and processing were done by Yulia Dukach (texty.org.ua). The civic initiative “Holka” developed the methodology and conducted the research.