Statement by the UNBA Committee regarding manipulative journalistic material

Statement by the UNBA Committee on information policy and interaction with the media regarding manipulative journalistic material aimed at discrediting the advocacy institution.

On November 17, 2025, Radio Liberty published an article by the editorial staff of Schemes entitled «Leaked documents: The Kremlin is financing a network of advocates in Ukraine and websites «about the crimes of the Kyiv regime» under the guise of legal aid».

After the publication, advocates whose names appear in the investigation contacted the Committee with statements about gross distortion of facts and manipulative presentation of information.

The Committee states: In his article, journalist S. S. Andrushko resorts to systematic manipulation, distortion of facts, and provocative actions aimed at discrediting the advocacy through its individual representatives.

The narrative promoted by the author is particularly dangerous: it suggests that advocates who defend cases of treason or publicly highlight human rights violations during mobilization may be financed by the aggressor state.

Such assumptions are not based on any evidence, contradict the fundamental principles of advocate activity, and create grounds for the unjustified persecution of advocates for performing their professional duties.

The Committee strongly condemns the methods used by journalist S. S. Andrushko and the editorial staff of Radio Liberty's Schemes program, who grossly violated the basic principles of journalistic ethics in this material.

In particular, the Committee notes a violation of the principle of objectivity, as the material is based on assumptions rather than proven facts. There is also a violation of the principle of balance - the position of the accused advocates was not properly represented. The authors violated the standards of evidence in journalism — public accusations were made without a proper factual basis and without providing an opportunity for refutation. In addition, the material contains signs of deliberate incitement to hostility—it constructs the image of an advocate as a potential «enemy» and «collaborator», which incites hatred in society toward representatives of the legal profession.

Such publications pose a direct threat to the institution of advocacy and the right to defense as a fundamental value of the rule of law. When society begins to perceive an advocate not as a defender of human rights, but as an «accomplice of the enemy», the very foundation of fair justice is destroyed.

The dissemination of unverified assumptions not only damages the reputation of specific advocates, but also undermines confidence in the institution of legal aid as a whole, which falls directly within the Committee's sphere of responsibility under the Regulations.

It is unacceptable to draw conclusions about «cooperation» or «collusion» with the Russian Federation solely on the basis that an advocate's video was used by a third party without his knowledge or consent. Responsibility for the use of content lies with the person who appropriates it, not the author.

The UNBA Committee on information policy and Interaction with the media will appeal to the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting and the Commission on Journalistic Ethics regarding the violation of the principles of journalistic ethics.