Court bars Anti-Corruption Action Centre and Slidstvo.Info from publishing investigation into 143 properties linked to SBI director’s brother

Judge Serhiy Vovk of Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District Court has issued an order barring the nongovernmental organisation Anti-Corruption Action Centre (AntAC), the investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info, and journalist Alina Stryzhak from publishing an investigation into 143 real estate properties that journalists say belong to the brother of State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Director Oleksiy Sukhachov.

The Anti-Corruption Action Centre reported the development after obtaining a copy of the court ruling dated July 6, 2026.

Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District Court/ Photo credit: Advokat Post

According to AntAC, the court issued the order as a provisional measure pending the filing of a future lawsuit. However, no lawsuit has been filed yet, and the court has not considered the case on its merits.

The ruling states that the plaintiff intends to file a lawsuit seeking to prohibit AntAC and Slidstvo.Info not only from publishing any materials but also from gathering information about the plaintiff and SBI Director Oleksiy Sukhachov.

AntAC Executive Director Daria Kaleniuk stated the organisation views the decision as a dangerous precedent and an attack on freedom of speech. According to her, the ruling appears designed to test whether courts can block anti-corruption investigations before they are published. Failure to comply with the order could result in fines, criminal liability and other legal consequences, which is why the organisation plans to appeal the decision.

Vovk’s ruling states that publishing information about the SBI director’s brother’s assets, the circumstances under which he acquired the properties, and the sources of funding used to acquire them could allegedly cause him irreparable harm. The court also found that publication could violate Parkovy-2 LLC‘s trade secrets. The ruling further indicates that Sukhachov’s brother did not consent to the disclosure of information about the 143 properties allegedly belonging to him.

The document also states that M.S. Lisovets, acting on behalf of Parkovy-2 LLC, filed the application with the court.

AntAC Deputy Executive Director and the organisation’s attorney, Olena Shcherban, said the ruling contradicts Ukrainian law and violates the right of journalists and the public to gather and disseminate information of public interest concerning senior public officials. AntAC views the ruling as part of an ongoing campaign of pressure against both journalists and the organisation.

On 24 June, anti-corruption campaigners sent SBI Director Oleksiy Sukhachov a request for comment on information uncovered by journalist Alina Stryzhak while analysing public state registers. The request concerned 143 apartments and office premises that journalists say belong to the official’s brother. AntAC also sent a similar request to Parkovy-2 LLC, which the organisation says is linked to Sukhachov’s brother.

Less than two weeks passed between the requests for comment and the Pecherskyi District Court’s ruling. Neither Sukhachov nor Parkovy-2 LLC responded to the journalists’ inquiries.

Kaleniuk said the journalists acted in accordance with professional standards by giving the parties an opportunity to comment before publication. Instead of receiving a response, she said, the investigation was blocked by a court order. In her view, the ruling could establish a mechanism allowing subjects of investigative reporting and relatives of senior officials to use the courts to prevent media outlets from reporting on their assets.

AntAC believes the case bears the hallmarks of a so-called SLAPP lawsuit, or strategic lawsuit against public participation. According to the organisation, such lawsuits are used to obstruct investigative journalism and prevent information from reaching the public.

Ukraine has committed to introducing legislation by 2027 to protect journalists and nongovernmental organisations from SLAPP lawsuits in line with European Union standards. AntAC argues that the court’s decision contradicts those commitments. The organisation also views the case as part of broader systemic pressure by the State Bureau of Investigations.

In July 2025, the SBI served AntAC Chairman Vitaliy Shabunin with a notice of suspicion over alleged military service evasion and fraud after conducting searches without court warrants. AntAC has described the allegations as unfounded and linked them to its anti-corruption work. The organisation also highlighted that case materials and Shabunin’s personal photographs were repeatedly leaked to the public during the investigation.

You may also want to read: Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation fails to launch internal probe into anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin photo leak

In June 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigations also reopened criminal proceedings that had been initiated more than a decade earlier and closed in 2016 due to the absence of a criminal offence. According to AntAC, the case concerns the alleged embezzlement of U.S. funding allocated for reform of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The organisation says it never received such funding and therefore considers the reopening of the proceedings baseless.

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