Marichka Dovbenko - attack 06.04.2026

On April 6, 2026, an interview with Taras Topolia, the lead singer of the band Antytila, was published on the author’s YouTube channel of host Marichka Dovbenko as part of her program “Ochi v Ochi,” under the title: “Why the Topolias Divorced, Olena’s Intimate Videos, Support for Zelenskyy, Friendship with Zaluzhnyi | Taras Topolia.” The conversation covered topics such as Topolia’s service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, his work as an artist, and his recent divorce from his wife, singer Olena Topolia.

The day after the interview was released, on April 7, Marichka Dovbenko stated on her social media that she had received threats from Taras Topolia’s team after refusing to remove certain fragments from the already published video.

“The artist’s team is also threatening to block my channel, file a lawsuit, and destroy my program and my name. These threats were made in an ultimatum form to force me to delete several parts of the interview or the entire video. As an independent journalist, I refused to do so, since everything said by the guest during the recording was expressed voluntarily and in a sound state of mind,” the host wrote at the time.

It is worth noting that following the enactment of the new Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights” in 2023, interviews no longer automatically qualify as copyrighted works. In particular, this means that editorial teams are not obliged to seek approval of interviews prior to publication, provided that quotations are reproduced accurately and without distortion.

On April 8, 2026, Marichka Dovbenko published another post, attaching screenshots of correspondence between her team and Taras Topolia’s lawyer, where she explained the details of the conflict. She stated:

“As I had promised Taras to send him the interview for review after recording, I did so. The material was sent four days before the planned publication date so that the guest would have time to review it. In response, the artist’s team said they had three major concerts at the Palace of Sports and no time to watch it. I accommodated them and agreed to postpone the publication by two weeks. When the artist eventually reviewed the interview, I was told to delete 10 fragments. Aiming to maintain proper and responsible communication, I responded to the edits and explained for each fragment what could be considered and what could not. I then expected a constructive continuation of the discussion, but was told: ‘it’s just laziness.’ At the same time, no justification was provided as to why those fragments had to be removed.”

According to the journalist, she refused to remove the requested parts due to the lack of any concrete justification.

“Out of respect for the artist, I was open to communication regarding the interview, but as a journalist I am not obliged to cut something simply because someone wants it, without any justification,” she added.

As Marichka Dovbenko later told Women in Media, after she made the situation public, Taras Topolia’s team ceased communication with her and her representatives: “As for my next steps, I am currently starting to work with lawyers to plan further actions in the legal field.”

Thus, this case demonstrates signs of pressure on the journalist, including attempts at censorship and interference in editorial independence through demands to remove parts of an already recorded interview without proper justification. It also involves reputational and psychological pressure in the form of ultimatum-style threats such as “destroying the program and her name.” In addition, the case shows signs of so-called SLAPP pressure (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), namely threats of lawsuits and channel blocking as tools to suppress content of public interest and journalistic activity. Taken together, these actions constitute an online attack aimed at restricting the journalist’s freedom of expression and creating a chilling effect for her and other media professionals.