Holka: SBI was investigating mobilization violations in the public sector after a fake statement on Iryna Fedoriv's behalf

The public initiative "Holka" declares that the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) was investigating draft dodging in the public sector on the basis of a fake statement filed on behalf of the "Holka" director Iryna Fedoriv, reports Holka on their website.

Iryna Fedoriv reports receiving a letter from the Khmelnytskyi oblast SBI administration in response to a statement filed on her behalf, alleging that the Chesno Movement chief editor Oleksandr Salizhenko was dodging the draft.

"I've never written to the State Bureau of Investigation. Someone forged a statement from me using my personal data. I have known Salizhenko well for the last 10 years, as he and I worked together in the Chesno Movement, and I know very well the reasons why he was excluded from the draft. He announced this publicly long before the full-scale war. He is in remission after cancer, and those who came up with this filthy smear campaign simply miscalculated from the start," said Fedoriv.

The fake statement on Iryna Fedoriv's behalf. Photo by Holka

She stresses that the purpose of this media campaign is to discredit the public sector.

According to her, the checks began immediately after Holka released a study about a Kremlin-backed Telegram network "targeting those carrying out the judicial reform and monitoring this process, namely the leaders of the DEJURE Foundation and the Anti-Corruption Center" in late February.

"This Kremlin-backed network included the channel run by the lawyer Rostyslav Kravets, who demanded that the media retract this information, but did not succeed. We also posted a series of materials about Medvedchuk's hydra in the Attorneys Association, which has been run by Lydia Izovitova since the Yanukovych administration times," she said.

The fake letter signed with Fedoriv's name was sent to the SBI on March 11.

"That is, about a week and a half after we released our study findings. I have already sent an appeal to the SBI, demanding they provide me with a copy of this fake statement. The law enforcers should open a case and identify the person who forged the document," said Iryna Fedoriv.

Previously

On February 26, 2024, the public initiative Holka released a study showing that a network of almost 30 Telegram channels that discredited the judicial reform, honest judges, and leaders of public organizations monitoring the reform of the judicial branch of the government.

On March 25, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada registered a draft bill (11115) which aims to regulate the work of Telegram, Facebook, Viber and other social media. The bill was penned by is Mykola Knyazhytsky (European Solidarity) and co-authored by Mykyta Poturayev (Servant of the People) and Yaroslav Yurchyshyn (Holos).

On April 2, 2024, the Chesno Movement chief editor Oleksandr Salizhenko reported that multiple online resources and anonymous Telegram channels were spreading misinformation about him, claiming that he was dodging the draft. The Chesno Movement leader Vita Dumanska said that the SBI had opened an investigation into the TSC's inaction regarding Salizhenko's mobilization following a statement by a citizen.

On April 12, 2024, Ukraine's civil society representatives commented on a dangerous trend of Ukrainian law enforcement bodies targeting anti-corruption activists and investigator journalists, namely through army recruitment centers and the mobilization campaign.