A Kyiv court found anti-corruption activist Shabunin guilty of assaulting a pro-Russian blogger
The Dnipro District Court of Kyiv handed down a verdict against the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, sentencing him for assaulting a journalist. The court found Vitaliy Shabunin guilty of causing moderate bodily harm to the journalist, but due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, it only ordered him to reimburse the costs of the forensic examinations.
This was reported by Zmina.
The defense for the head of the Anti-Corruption Center emphasizes that the conflict was domestic in nature, and that Vsevolod Filimonenko did not have valid journalist status at the time of the incident. The lawyers argue that medical documents regarding a broken jaw appeared only two weeks after the incident, whereas the initial examination on the day of the conflict did not reveal any serious injuries. Shabunin himself explained his actions as a reaction to an insult from a colleague, which he warned the blogger about before striking him.
The case has been pending since 2017, and the defense is currently preparing an appeal against the court’s decision. Lawyers point to the lack of evidence supporting Filimonenk’s journalistic activities, noting that the publication where he allegedly worked was not actually operational. Despite these arguments, the prosecution insisted on classifying the crime under the article regarding an attack on a media worker.
“This decision, obviously, can only have some reputational consequences. In fact, no punishment was imposed because the statute of limitations had expired in this case. At the time, the court suggested we request the case be closed due to the statute of limitations, but we refused because we genuinely expected the situation to be resolved fairly,” explained Olena Shcherban, Vitaliy Shabunin’s attorney.
Vsevolod Filimonenk has drawn significant attention due to his open collaboration with the aggressor country’s propaganda outlets. In March 2024, he appeared in a film by Russia’s Channel One titled “Zelenskyy and His Combat Drug Addicts,” aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the country’s top leadership. Due to the systematic dissemination of Kremlin narratives, on September 20, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a National Security and Defense Council decision imposing personal sanctions against Filimonenk for a period of 10 years.
As a reminder, the Pecherskyi District Court has once again extended Shabunin’s pretrial measure in the form of a personal commitment.
Shabunin noted that he does not intend to flee the investigation, contrary to what the prosecution claims.
On July 11, State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) officials notified Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, that he was suspected of evading military service and using a vehicle designated for the Armed Forces of Ukraine without authorization.
