UNIAN

Oligarch's Agency — with Cypriot Founders and Fake Interviews

UNIAN — Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News, founded in 1993. The legal founders are "Lakasti LTD" and LLC "Vel-Rice", whose ultimate beneficiaries are Ihor Kolomoyskyi and Hennadiy Boholiubov. The agency includes the website unian.ua, the radio station "UNIAN-FM" and the TV channel "UNIAN-TV". It is part of the "1+1 Media" media holding.

Censorship, "Planted" Materials and Fake Quotes

In 2013, fake interviews with members of parliament appeared on the UNIAN website — journalists admitted that the materials were "issued from above." The staff reported systematic censorship. In response, Kolomoyskyi proposed either apologizing to the management or closing the agency. The conflict was "resolved" by appointing new editors.

According to IMI, in December 2023 more than 30% of UNIAN's materials contained violations of journalistic standards.

Asset Withdrawal and New "Owner"

After Kolomoyskyi's arrest in 2023, the "1+1" management began withdrawing assets from his ownership. In November 2024, UNIAN, along with other group assets, was transferred to the director of the distribution department, Andrii Malchevskyi, who acquired 38% of the media group.

The second co-owner remains Viasat CEO Svitlana Mishchenko. Despite the formal change of ownership, the editorial structure and management have not changed — the agency continues to operate under the same leadership.