Zakarpattia police have closed two criminal proceedings launched over the prolonged online harassment of Olena Mudra, editor-in-chief of Suspilne Uzhhorod. The cases were opened under Articles 171 and 182 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, concerning obstruction of journalists’ lawful professional activities and violation of privacy, respectively.
The journalist announced on Facebook that she had received the decisions to close the proceedings. According to Mudra, the police closed the cases due to the absence of the elements of a criminal offense.
The proceedings were opened in 2025 following a complaint by Mudra over a large-scale online harassment campaign that, according to the journalist, lasted for more than three months. Mudra links the attacks to her reporting on the construction of wind farms in the Carpathians and the activities of the Vitrоparky Ukrainy group of companies.
According to Mudra, the police initially failed to enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (URPTI) as required by law. The journalist then sought assistance from the Women in Media NGO.
In a comment to the Women in Media NGO, Olena Mudra said she was questioned once or twice during the pre-trial investigation. She noted that, in her observation, investigative activity intensified following public attention to the lack of progress in the case.
“I reviewed the case file several times, and based on the materials, I had the impression that the police were interested in identifying who was behind the online attacks against me, which constituted actual obstruction of my journalistic activities. That is why I was surprised by the decision to close the case, which I received by email yesterday,” the journalist said.
Harassment affected the journalist’s work
Olena Mudra said the prolonged online harassment campaign had not only psychological consequences for her but also directly affected her professional activities.
“Yes, it did. Mentally, I worked with a psychologist, and, above all, it required time and resources to collect information about all the instances of harassment and work through them with lawyers. This prevented me from doing my main job — some planned investigations that required the most resources to build an evidence base were never published,” she said.
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According to the journalist, she has not completely abandoned work on these topics, but their publication has been significantly delayed.
“This does not mean I have abandoned these topics altogether, but there has been a significant delay. The Vitrоparky [Ukraine] group of companies obviously ‘benefited’ from this, because at the time, the activities of this group in the Carpathians and Zakarpattia were the main subject of my investigation,” Mudra explained.
Thus, according to the journalist, the online harassment consumed resources that she could have devoted to preparing journalistic reports.
“It is sad that throughout my entire career, I have never once been able to rely on the police to protect my rights as a journalist,” she added.
Three lawsuits against the journalist
Olena Mudra also said that three lawsuits had been filed against her, which she characterizes as SLAPPs — strategic lawsuits against public participation that can be used to pressure journalists, activists and other participants in public debate.
According to her, two of the lawsuits are currently being heard by the Commercial Court of Zakarpattia Region and the Zakarpattia Court of Appeal.
The journalist also recalled another criminal proceeding opened against her in 2025 by the same Uzhhorod District Police Department. According to Mudra, it was based on a fraud allegation filed in the name of a person who, she claims, did not exist. The proceedings were later closed following public attention and a response from the media and human rights communities.
Lawyer reviewing the decision
Olena Mudra told the Women in Media NGO that she had handed the decision she received to lawyer Yurii Melnyk of the Human Rights Platform. Lawyers are currently examining the possibility of appealing it.
According to the journalist, she did not personally incur any costs for legal representation.
“I received all the necessary legal support thanks to organizations such as Women in Media and others that specifically work to protect and support journalists facing harassment and attacks,” she said.
In her post, Mudra also addressed Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, alleging what she described as “ineffective and one-sided work by the police in Zakarpattia when it comes to protecting journalists’ rights and freedom of speech in general.”