The death of the Kyiv Post 3 years ago

Ukraine's English-language newspaper has not published in print since the late Adnan Kivan killed it on Nov. 8, 2021. His decision gave birth to the Kyiv Independent.

The traditional going-away front page was presented to long-time Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner after his firing on Nov. 8, 2021. His dismissal and that of the entire staff was prompted by pressure from Ukrainian authorities on owner Adnan Kivan to muzzle the fiercely independent newspaper. Kivan sadly died on Oct. 28, 2024. Most of the fired staff went on to form the Kyiv Independent, now the dominant English-language news outlet.

The final print edition of the Kyiv Post came out on Nov. 5, 2021, ending a run of more than 26 years:

The summary of the edition gave no hint of what was to come. Although Brian Bonner had been informed on Tuesday that week, he decided to go out sticking to the news of the day:

“Grim Reaper.” The front-page photo says it all. The bodies of COVID-19 victims are piling up and will continue to do so in Ukraine. It's a natural consequence of having only 18% of the population vaccinated -- the lowest in Europe. Some surveys have shown that at least half of Ukrainians don't want to get vaccinated. So keep expecting the bodies to pile up in COVID hospital wards. Business Focus: Banking Services. What's up, and who's in/out with Zelensky's latest government reshuffle? Photo gallery: Odesa in autumn. The big interview with Ukraine International Airlines CEO.

Brian Bonner in front of the Kyiv Post archive.

The Columbia Journalism Review interviewed Brian Bonner about what transpired in an article published on Nov. 11, 2021.

One of the many tributes from a loyal reader:

And spot on from Ivanna-Klympush-Tsintsadze, translated here:

The so-called "renovation" of Kyiv Post through the closure and dismissal of employees is a blatant attack on freedom of speech.

I have not always agreed with the assessments of this publication, but this is how democracy works. If you have a different opinion - argue, discuss, prove your point of view, but do not silence your opponent.

People who came to power on the basis of criticism do not tolerate critics themselves. We are witnesses to a galloping return to the past, and the future of the country depends on how we react to this disgrace.

Without free media, there will be no free society that can control the government, there will be no free elections and, ultimately, an independent Ukraine.

And a beautiful parting message of support from Ukrainska Pravda chief editor Sevgil Hayretdın Qızı Musaieva, who was spot on about pressure from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, specifically 42 criminal cases opened against Kyiv Post owner Adnan Kivan by ex-Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova. One of the conditions for closing them, besides the usual financial benefits, according to Kivan, was the dismissal of me and the team.

Here is Sevgil’s message translated:

Kyiv Post is ceasing to exist. For an indefinite period, promises publisher, businessman Adnan Kivan. This morning, journalists came to work and learned that they had simply been fired along with long-time editor Brian Bonner. Kivan in his official statement promises to restart the publication in Ukrainian in the near future. With the best Ukrainian and foreign journalists. So, is it not about money after all? Unofficially, the problems in the editorial office began a few weeks ago. And as far as I know, they are related to pressure on Kivan from the Office of the President. To understand: Kyiv Post is the main source of information about Ukraine for embassies, international organizations and expats. A source that wrote about Wagnergate, the offshore scandal, anti-corruption agencies and reforms in general. Someone probably didn't like it very much. And the owner was made to understand this. Trying to influence Brian and his team is futile. He is known for his principledness and for 25 years he was able to maintain an independent editorial policy. That's why they decided to simply get rid of him. Considering that opposition deputies are now being prevented from going on business trips abroad, and the Office has developed its own weekly digest, in which it is going to talk about "victories" 🙈😂, the step is more than logical. And in the style of early Yanukovych. I just don't want to disappoint the authors of such a brilliant plan - it's simply impossible to hide something in 2021. Both diplomats and European politicians understand what's happening. In the last two days alone, I've received several inquiries from MEPs and ambassadors regarding the oppression of journalists in Ukraine. Now, unfortunately, the Kyiv Post case has been added to the examples. Respect and support to the team. This is definitely not the end ✊✊✊

And a lovely message of support from Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States:

And Olga Rudenko’s message from the staff. She was the deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Post and is now the chief editor of the Kyiv Independent:

The independent Kyiv Post has ceased to exist today, after 26 years.

On the morning of Nov. 8, the paper’s employees came to the office only to be notified that they were all being fired, effective immediately.

Three weeks ago, the Kyiv Post’s owner, Odesa construction tycoon Adnan Kivan, had other plans: To expand the Kyiv Post and launch a Ukrainian-language outlet under the paper’s brand.

At the time, this news, as well as the appointment of a hand-picked chief editor to head this new section, were a total surprise to the newsroom.

We saw significant risks in the expansion format chosen Adnan Kivan. We also saw it as an attempt to infringe on our editorial independence.

The newsroom’s attempt to save the editorial independence of the Kyiv Post elicited opposition from our owner.

We consider the cessation of publication and the dismissal of the paper’s staff to be an act of vengeance by Adnan Kivan. He has officially announced plans to “reorganize” the Kyiv Post and to restart operations in a month with a new team.

We see this as the owner getting rid of inconvenient, fair and honest journalists.

The Kyiv Post has been the international community’s primary source of news about Ukraine for the last 26 years.

We have exemplified high professional and ethical standards. That is why every president and government in Ukraine’s history attempted to influence the Kyiv Post.

However, even under all this pressure, none of our owners went so far as to shut down the paper. Adnan Kivan himself promised to protect our editorial independence when he bought the Kyiv Post in 2018.

“I highly value the work of Kyiv Post journalists and intend to preserve editorial independence,” Kivan said at the time.

Today, we asked him to sell the paper or to hand over the Kyiv Post trademark to the newsroom. He did not agree.

We call upon our readers and advertisers, businessmen, diplomats, international organizations, and everyone else who believes in independent journalism to support us.

The Kyiv Post staff.

And another beautiful message from reader Diana Davityan, translated here:

It is sad to read this news.

I really don't want the Kyiv Post audience to receive information about what is happening in the country that has been "correctly filtered" by the owner after the "relaunch".

This is especially dangerous in the realities when there are no English-language publications about Ukraine in the country.

Thank you to the team for your professional work, independent and high-quality journalism.

Olga Rudenko Brian Bonner you were keeping it professional!

From Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information:

A strange event that is difficult to explain by economic factors. The Kyiv Post, which was the most influential English-language publication about Ukraine, was closed. The team and management are leaving, and they are declaring the owner's pressure on independence, without details.

There are no other public explanations for such a step. Judging by the fact that the owner, an Odessa developer, literally recently created a cozy Ukrainian version of KP for himself, with an Odessa team, perhaps this is his choice. To have something that is "closer to the body" than the English-language version, which is difficult to control, and which can bring problems with its independence and criticism of the authorities.

To the team and Brian Bonner - you are cool. I know that it is difficult for you now. But what's up, I myself had a hard time believing in the closure of such a significant publication(( We are with you. And despite everything, I believe that everything will definitely be fine with you.

Important UPD. They say that there was pressure on the owner from the Office of the Presidential Administration, and this was the reason for the closure. I'll put a link in the comments.

A lovely tribute below from Olena Goncharova, now with the Kyiv Independent and still doing great work:

I joined Kyiv Post in 2012 (it's hard to believe it was almost 10 years ago) on the same day as Alyona Nevmerzhytska. I remember how cold it was on the way to the new office and you offered me coffee in the kitchen. We would have celebrated our anniversary this winter - I believe we will celebrate again 🙂

During this time, I have written more than 600 articles, made dozens of translations, grant applications and even more drafts. Since 2018, I have headed the Canadian department of Kyiv Post and written about the Ukrainian program in western Canada, the first Ukrainian elections in an overseas polling station in Edmonton at the Consulate General of Ukraine in Edmonton, Operation UNIFIER, famous Ukrainians in the diaspora together with the Ukrainian World Congress.

So, almost imperceptibly, a third of my life passed at Kyiv Post. Here I grew up, stopped being afraid of phone calls 😅, learned to write in English, found not just colleagues, but like-minded people and time-tested friends - special shout-out to Oksana Grytsenko, Oleg Sukhov and Anna Yakutenko, who supported and continue to support with words, deeds, laughter, or just a funny video.

All this would not have happened if at the international conference of investigative journalists in Kyiv I had not met the incredible Vlad Lavrov and Brian Bonner, who said that they were looking for interns for the newspaper. For a general understanding, Kyiv Post was for me something like Everest in Ukrainian journalism - perfect English, materials on topical topics, powerful investigations, layout like the best foreign publications, photos that I wanted to cut out and hang in front of my desk - an unattainable height... We analyzed materials from the printed edition at school in English lessons, discussed them in pairs at Shevchenko University. To say that it was a dream come true is to say nothing. And 10 years later it still feels that way.

I am incredibly grateful to all the editors who struggled with my first materials - Olga Rudenko, Euan MacDonald, Katya Gorchinskaya, Jakub Parusinski, Alyona Zhuk. To all the wonderful colleagues - in the newsroom, commercial department, accounting department Gala Bondarchuk Helen Mokrova - you ⭐️), IT, who were, are and, I hope, will be.

You have to fight for what you love, and the way we organized ourselves around this sad situation once again proves the importance of reliable people around you. Thank you for being you.

Klaudia Shevelyuk’s post:

Kyiv Post staff photo in 2014, the year it won the Missouri Honor Medal for Outstanding Service to Journalism. The staff annually celebrated the Kyiv Post’s Oct. 18, 1995, birthday.

From Viktor Dovhan:

These are just some of the articles I wrote in Kyiv Post. It is a very bad signal that such media outlets are being closed. This is a matter of the country's information security. Don't we have a pool of caring people who can continue publishing? Most embassies and foreign investors took information from the only English-language resource in Ukraine. Show must go on!

And an editorial in the final print edition on Nov. 5, 2021, shows the feistiness that led to the independent Kyiv Post’s demise, headlined “Useless officials.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky conducted yet another government reshuffle. This time, the Zelensky-controlled parliament fired five ministers on Nov. 3 and hired four new ministers, a day later, to serve until the next reshuffle.

The non-transparent appointment of ministers and their eventual sackings leave everyone wondering why they were hired in the first place.

As more dubious characters pass through Ukrainian ministries, it becomes obvious that the president doesn’t have a strategy on how to run the country.

Ukraine had 51 ministers in 26 months since the Zelensky-led parliament held its first session. While fighting a defensive war against Russia in the country’s east and combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ukraine had three ministers of defense and four healthcare chiefs in just two years.

Zelensky’s Servant of the People party controls 242 seats out of 450, making the president unchecked in his desires.

Few ministers survived more than a year on the job, with record-holders ex-Finance Minister Ihor Umansky and ex-Health Minister Illia Yemets fired less than a month into their terms.

Even political observers have a hard time remembering the names of all those people who now have “ex-minister” written in their resumes.

The only minister who was able to remain in power for over two years is Mykhailo Fedorov, who leads the digital transformation ministry.

Inefficiency and corruption have been the main reason for ministers to fall out of favor with the president and his party. Even Servant of the People lawmakers are vocal on how bad Zelensky’s ministers are.

David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, said that it’s now hard to find new members for the Cabinet because no one wants these jobs. He also added that the ministries tend to become chaotic amidst government changes.

And yet they continue to shuffle the stripper deck.

Some of Zelensky’s appointees wouldn’t pass even the basic background check. Yet they were still appointed by the obedient parliament.

Ex-Defense Minister Andrii Taran didn’t even bother to address parliament during his appointment, breaching the longstanding tradition. He also abstained from doing so when he was voted out of office on Nov. 3.

Parliament has become a printing press for the president’s nominees, who don’t see the need to present their views to their formal employers. The ministers serve at the pleasure of a single person.
Yet, as experts and lawmakers alike point out, the more changes occur, the dimmer the chances of finding qualified personnel.

An employed professional won’t bother to join a government, where his career can abruptly end and his reputation be tarnished.

Two years in, Zelensky’s chaotic, unchecked appointments made the government weak, inefficient and a bad career option for certified professionals.

If this administration truly wants to make a difference, it should stick to a single program, instead of neurotically chasing approval ratings by constantly sacrificing ministers.