UNBA Committee for the protection of advocates' rights responds to accusations regarding the case of «hacker lawyers»

Dzerkalo Tyzhnia's publications about «hacker lawyers» contain false information, distortions and manipulations that undermine the authority of the Bar. They are a form of unlawful pressure on the UNBA and may be an element of a paid-for campaign.
The Committee for the protection of advocates' rights and guarantees of advocacy of the Ukrainian National Bar Association issued a statement condemning such methods of media work and appealed to the media and other resources to immediately stop spreading false information.
Here is the full text of the document:
Regarding the publications of Dzerkalo Tyzhnia
about «hacker lawyers»
On April 22 - 23, 2025, the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia published a number of publications about the criminal proceedings and the announcement of suspicion by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine to lawyers accused of unlawful interference with the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, namely:
- article by the editor of the internal policy department of ZN. ua internal policy department editor Iryna Vedernikova «The Case of Hacker Lawyers: How NABU Detected Parasites»
- news «Borzykh's group engaged a hacker to access the court register, against whom they had been fighting a case as military prosecutors, - sources»
- news «Borzykh's case points to a deep crisis of the Ukrainian Bar. The President's Office is only benefiting from it»
- news «The Bar Association headed by Izovitova has become a corporate shield in the Borzykh case»
The Committee for the protection of advocates' rights and guarantees of advocacy of the Ukrainian National Bar Association states that these publications contain false and distorted (and therefore manipulative) information about the role of the UNBA in the protection of advocates. The dissemination of such materials damages the reputation and undermines the authority of the Bar in the eyes of the public. In addition, the very fact of publishing the article and its systematic promotion by individual news outlets contains signs of unlawful pressure on the constitutional institution.
The UNBA does not interfere in criminal proceedings, does not assess the progress of crime investigations and does not defend criminals, as it is presented today by the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.
The main task of the UNBA, according to the Law «On the Bar and Practice of Law», is to implement the tasks of the bar self-government, one of which is to ensure the independence of lawyers and protection against interference in the practice of law. After all, the professional rights, honor and dignity of advocates are guaranteed and protected by the Constitution and laws. The relevant law (Art. 23) provides a list of guarantees of the practice of law, including a special procedure for conducting operational and investigative measures and investigative actions, notification of suspicion, disciplinary proceedings, etc.
Thus, the UNBA, through its bodies (in particular, committees), in accordance with the law, protects the professional rights of advocates and ensures compliance with the guarantees of the practice of law, regardless of their personalities.
It is within the framework of fulfilling this task assigned to the UNBA by law that in 2024 the Committee for the protection of advocates' rights and guarantees of advocacy prepared a statement to the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation regarding the facts of illegal wiretapping of the lawyers' office, conducting a search there and its subsequent legalization. The court agreed with the arguments presented and ordered law enforcement officers to open criminal proceedings.
Having examined the content of the publications and the circumstances of their placement on the website of the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia publication, the UNBA Committee on protection of advocates' rights and guarantees of advocacy believes that in this case there is probably a paid media attack on the institution of the Bar. Its goals may be to shape public opinion in a particular criminal case in the interests of law enforcement agencies, in particular, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
The UNBA Committee condemns such methods of pressure, therefore:
- appeals to the media and other resources to immediately stop disseminating false information;
- appeals to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia publication with a request to provide public information on the existence of commercial contractual relations and the availability of documents on the relevant financial settlements.
The Committee is also considering the possibility of filing a complaint about the commission of a crime by a group of persons involved in discrediting the bar.
Chairman of the Committee on protection of advocates' rights
and guarantees of advocacy
of the Ukrainian National Bar Association E.Solodko
Popular news

Guarantees of the practice of law
The Verkhovna Rada is waiting for the Minister of Justice to take action on signing the Convention on the protection of t…
Ukraine, which was directly involved in the preparation of the world's first Council of Europe Convention on the protection of the profession of advocate, has still not signed it. There appear to be no formal objections, but no real steps have been taken towards accession either.

Legislation
Support for the defense industry should not upset local budgets, - UNBA
It is necessary to create additional incentives for enterprises in the defense and industrial complex, while ensuring the balance of the budget system and the predictability of both revenues and expenditures of local self-government.

Legislation
UNBA warns of extreme financial risks for defense industry companies
The lack of transparent control over the activities of the Ministry of Defense as a regulator, as well as excessive sanctions for leaving the Defense City regime, create risks for defense enterprises that could lead to their bankruptcy.

Guarantees of the practice of law
BCU reports interference by a member of the High Council of Justice in the activities of a lawyer and submits officia…
The Bar Council of Ukraine, having considered the statement of advocate Oleksandr Vikhrov, established the fact of interference by Roman Maselko, a member of the High Council of Justice, in the advocacy activities, violation of attorney-client privilege, and exceeding his powers in evaluating a candidate for the position of judge.

Legislation
Consent to arrest advocates must be given by bar self-regulatory bodies
Granting the High Council of Justice the power to give consent to the detention of an advocate or to keep him in custody would be a direct interference in the activities of the Ukrainian advocacy. This contradicts the principle of independence of the advocacy guaranteed by the Constitution and laws.

Self-government
BCU selected candidates for membership of the Competition Commission for the selection of members of the HQCJ
In accordance with Article 95-1 of the Law of Ukraine «On the judicial system and status of judges», the Bar Council of Ukraine proposed three candidates to the High Council of Justice for consideration as members of the Competition Commission to conduct a competition for the position of member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine under the BCU quota.

Legislation
DIC and customs control: advocates warn against the risks of draft law No. 13421
Ukrainian defense companies face bureaucratic delays in importing components, which could critically affect the timing of government contracts. At the same time, the mechanism proposed in the Verkhovna Rada creates risks that could outweigh the potential benefits for the industry.

Educational events
Advocates were taught how to distinguish fatigue from exhaustion
Mental health is a topic that still sounds abstract to many people. But in the legal profession, it is a daily reality: stress, high workloads, responsibility for other people's lives.
Publications

Ihor Kolesnykov A BRIEF SUMMARY REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE ORDER ON EXTENDED CONFISCATION IN LATVIA REGARDING FINANCIAL ASSETS OF…

Valentyn Gvozdiy WORKING IN A WAR ZONE

Lydia Izovitova Formula of perfection

Sergiy Vylkov Our judicial system is so built that courts do not trust advocates

Iryna Vasylyk Advocacy in the proclamation of Independence of Ukraine

Oleksandr DULSKY When we cross the border of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, we get into another department of the National Anti-Corruption…

Vadym Krasnyk The UNBA will work, and all obstacles and restrictions are only temporary inconveniences

Lydia Izovitova Interview with Lydia Izovitova on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the founding of UNBA: We are the voice of t…