Law enforcement has closed the criminal case opened against Zakarpattia journalist Olena Mudra on a complaint filed in the name of so-called “Marik Fedirko” — a character who had previously figured in an online smear campaign against the journalist and was likely created using artificial intelligence. Olena Mudra informed Women in Media of the development, sharing the official prosecutor’s response.
The document states that criminal proceedings No. 12025078030000440, opened on July 5, 2025 under Article 190(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, were closed on May 14, 2026 under Article 284(1)(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine — that is, on the grounds that “no criminal offense was found to have occurred.”
a Marik Fedirko smear video
“Today I received a response from the Uzhhorod District Prosecutor’s Office stating that the proceedings against me on Marik Fedirko’s complaint have been closed. This came as something of a surprise, since the issues I had raised with the prosecutor’s office concerned procedural oversight in the case. I sincerely thank Women in Media and specialists from other civil society organizations who helped get it closed,” journalist Olena Mudra said.
Women in Media had previously documented a series of online attacks against Olena Mudra linked to her professional work and her coverage of construction in the high-altitude areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The campaign against the journalist involved the circulation of smear materials, personal attacks, references to her family, and accusations of alleged ties to Russia.
Particular attention was drawn to the character “Marik Fedirko,” in whose name publications and statements against the journalist were disseminated. In July 2025, Women in Media documented a video featuring a male character with signs of AI generation. Analysis revealed unnatural facial expressions, unstable skin texture, unnatural lighting, and other indicators of possible deepfake use. Read more in the article “A new wave of online attacks on journalist Olena Mudra: AI-generated character used in video news”.
“Closing the proceedings is an important step, but this story also shows how many resources, how much time, and how much public pressure a journalist may need to prove the obvious falsity of accusations against her. It took nearly a year of letters and advocacy by Women in Media, parliamentary inquiries from Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, and an investigation by NGL.media to get the case closed. However, the questions of accountability for the spread of false information, for organizing the harassment campaign, and for the harm done to the journalist remain unanswered,” emphasized Liza Kuzmenko, Head of Women in Media NGO.
Women in Media notes that the aim of such coordinated online harassment campaigns is not only to discredit a particular journalist, but also to create an atmosphere of fear and pressure that can push women in media to avoid certain topics, self-censor, or leave the profession altogether. International research describes this as the “chilling effect” — when violence and harassment are used to push women journalists out of the public space.
“We are now working with lawyers to bring in more evidence about the platforms involved in the harassment, including the fact that ‘Marik Fedirko’ is not a real person, as established by NGL.media. Legal support is being provided to me by specialists from the Human Rights Platform,” Olena Mudra said.
In February 2026 NGL.media published its own investigation, in which the journalists stated that within a few days they had been able to establish a number of facts about “Marik Fedirko,” whereas law\ enforcement had failed to establish even the basic circumstances in six months. In particular, NGL.media journalists noted that no person by the name of “Fedirko Marik Vasyliovych” exists in Ukraine, and that the organization “LGBT Active Ukraine,” which he claimed to coordinate, is not registered. The journalists also established that the “Marik Fedirko” account used another person’s photograph, and that the complaint letter to the police had been sent from Perechyn.
Women in Media NGO continues to document cases of online violence and gendered disinformation against Ukrainian women in media. This work was made possible through the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands as part of the project “Strengthening the Resilience of Women Journalists in Ukraine: Combating Online Violence and Gendered Disinformation.”