Korrespondent.net

From Poroshenko to Yanukovych — through a single intermediary

Until 2013, Petro Poroshenko was co-owner of the magazine "Korrespondent" and Korrespondent.net through joint projects with UMH group of Borys Lozhkin. In June 2013, UMH group was acquired by Serhiy Kurchenko, owner of the VETEK group — a person from Yanukovych's circle, linked to the son of the Prosecutor General Artem Pshonka and First Vice Prime Minister Arbuzov.

Mass dismissal of the editorial staff and a censorship department

After the transition to Kurchenko in November 2013, over 20 top managers and journalists left the publication — including chief editor Vitaliy Sych and website editor Yulia Mak-Haffi. On the day of Mak-Haffi's dismissal, a department responsible for censorship appeared at "Korrespondent."

EU sanctions and indefinite status

In April 2022, the EU imposed personal sanctions on Kurchenko for his role in undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity. UMH's assets in Ukraine are seized, and the holding's legal status remains unresolved — the publication continues operating under a brand whose owner is subject to international sanctions and is wanted.