STATEMENT of the Bar Council of Ukraine

STATEMENT
of the Bar Council of Ukraine
On March 24, 2023, at 16.00, the Ukrayinska Pravda website published a publication entitled "Kremlin octopus: how Medvedchuk built his network of "advocacy," the authors of which were Oleksandr Salizhenko and Iryna Fedoriv.
Later, the same material was posted on other websites, including Movement Chesno.
According to the initial data of the Ukrayinska Pravda website, provided by Article 28 of the Law of Ukraine "On Information Agencies", Article 32 of the Law of Ukraine "On Printed Mass Media (Press) in Ukraine" (these laws expired on 31.03.2023), the name of the company is UP Media Plus LLC (EDRPOU 44172411, address: 36D Saksahanskoho St., Kyiv, 01033, Ukraine). The sole founder of UP Media Plus LLC is Dragon Capital Investments Limited, and the beneficiary is an individual - Tomas Fiala, who, according to the website "Сlarity-project.info", is also the beneficiary of a total of 142 legal entities in Ukraine.
The information contained in the publication is untrue. The Bar Council of Ukraine declares that the publication's authors and the editors of the publications that published it violated the fundamental principles of media activity. The dissemination of this inaccurate information has damaged the honor, dignity, and business reputation of the persons mentioned in it.
The publication uses references to unverified and false information, including from social media, and manipulates facts. All of this is evidence of a gross violation of journalism standards aimed at distorting the real state of affairs, increasing pressure on advocates, and is an attempt to politicize the institution of the Bar and degrade its role in protecting the rights and legitimate interests of citizens. Of particular concern is that all this is happening in the context of the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian National Bar Association, the Bar Council of Ukraine, the Higher Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar, regional bar councils, and qualification and disciplinary commissions of the Bar are established and operate following the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On the Bar and Practice of Law."
The bar self-government bodies strictly adhere to Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine, Article 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and respect the enshrined guarantees of the right to freedom of thought and speech, to free expression of their views and beliefs.
The Code of Ethics for Ukrainian Journalists stipulates (clauses 1, 6, 9, 10) that freedom of speech and expression is integral to a journalist's work. A journalist's first duty is to respect the public's right to complete objective information about facts and events. Facts, judgments, and assumptions should be clearly separated from each other. At the same time, the points of view of opponents, including those who have been the subject of journalistic criticism, should be presented in a balanced manner. The opinions of independent experts should also be presented.
At the same time, the authors did not contact the Ukrainian National Bar Association's representatives to verify the sources' veracity to ensure a balance of opinions and points of view.
It seems that the authors of the publication and the editors of the publications deliberately chose a loud and unsubstantiated headline to discredit the institution of the Ukrainian Bar as a whole and the system of bar self-government bodies that were democratically elected in the time and manner prescribed by law.
Actions related to the publication's preparation and publication have signs of violation of the fundamental guarantees of the independence of the Bar. They also pose a real danger to the constitutional foundations of the Ukrainian state and may hinder further reforms of the Ukrainian legal system. After all, the Law of Ukraine, "On the Bar and Practice of Law," was adopted in 2012 as a European integration law. Its adoption, subject to creating a professional organization of lawyers with a single membership, was part of the implementation of Ukraine's commitments to the Council of Europe. At the same time, the compliance of the relevant law with European standards has been repeatedly confirmed by the conclusions of the Venice Commission.
Today, the Ukrainian National Bar Association demonstrates the best standards of the Bar, organized into a single, solid, and independent association of professional lawyers who have acquired the status of attorneys and have undertaken to comply with the high standards outlined in the Law of Ukraine "On the Bar and Practice of Law" and the Rules of Professional Conduct approved by the highest body of the Bar self-government - the Congress of Attorneys of Ukraine. This was recognized by the international community, including the most respected bar organization in Europe - the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). Thus, on November 25, 2022, in Brussels, the Ukrainian National Bar Association received the CCBE Human Rights Award for its outstanding and tireless commitment to human rights and the rule of law in Ukraine.
Thus, the Bar Council of Ukraine believes that the publication is aimed at destroying the foundations of an independent legal profession in Ukraine, attacking the professional rights and immunities of advocates, deviating from international standards of self-governance of the Bar, to which the national legislation of Ukraine has already been adapted, and creating obstacles to Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
The publication is also evidence of outright pressure and an attack on the independent institution of the Bar, and, as a result, deprivation of citizens of the constitutional right to legal protection, discrediting the profession and status, as well as the marginalization of the constitutional role of advocates, which is unacceptable in a state governed by the rule of law.
Popular news

Advocacy
The Bar Council of Ukraine appealed to the High Council of Justice due to delays in forming the Competition Commission of t…
On June 13, 2025, Lidiya Izovitova, President of the Bar Council of Ukraine, addressed Grigory Usik, Head of the High Council of Justice, regarding the violation of the deadlines for forming a new composition of the Competition Commission for the selection of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.

Advocacy
UNBA calls for compliance with Council of Europe standards for the legal profession
The recently approved roadmap for EU accession in terms of bar reform refers to non-existent European standards and was adopted in violation of international principles. Therefore, before talking about changes, it is necessary to compare the current model of the bar with the Council of Europe standards embodied in the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.

Advocacy
Mobilization of advocates in court: UNBA records another case of pressure
The Ukrainian advocacy has once again faced extrajudicial influence on advocates with the aim of obstructing the exercise of their legitimate powers related to the provision of professional legal assistance to clients.

Advocacy
BCU demands verification of authenticity of SSU letter on «dangerous» advocacy
The Bar Council of Ukraine will appeal to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, regarding the verification of information about «negative trends in the legal profession» disseminated by some media outlets on behalf of the SSU.

Advocacy
Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate open for signature
Thirteen member states of the Council of Europe have signed the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on March 12, 2025. Four more countries will do so today. Ukraine is not among them.

Advocacy
BCU initiates resolution of the issue of visits by advocates to convicted persons
Article 110 of the Criminal Enforcement Code guarantees convicted persons confidentiality of meetings with their advocate. One of the important elements is the possibility to communicate with an advocate in a room without a solid partition. In practice, this provision of the law is systematically violated.

Advocacy
Advocates, academics, and experts examine problems in forensic examination (video)
The Ukrainian National Bar Association, in cooperation with leading scientific and research institutes of forensic expertise, organized a round table on expert support for legal practice.

Advocacy
Does the mobilization of a lawyer violate the human right to defense - conclusion of the Supreme Court
Article 335 of the CPC provides for the suspension of court proceedings only in cases where the accused was called up for military service during mobilization. However, this provision does not apply to the mobilization of a defense counsel.
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…