Ukraine’s media landscape has been rocked by a major conflict between the largest Telegram channel, ‘Trukha’, and the well-known volunteer, blogger and SBU agent Serhiy Sternenko. The confrontation, which began with announcements of anti-corruption investigations into defence procurement, has escalated into public mutual accusations. The Ukrainian bureau of the authoritative publication Forbes has now joined in covering the situation, elevating the local online debate to a matter of public significance.
The conflict began after the administration of the Telegram channel ‘Trukha’ announced the publication of a major investigation. The channel’s authors promised to reveal evidence of corruption during the procurement of drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The main figures named in the announcement were:
Mykhailo Fedorov — Ukraine’s Minister of Defence (whom the authors describe as the organiser of the schemes);
Oleksandr Konotopskyi — a well-known businessman who allegedly earns billions from supplying UAVs.
The reaction from the minister’s team was immediate. Fedorov’s adviser, blogger and volunteer Serhiy Sternenko, made counter-accusations against the largest news outlet.
“The ‘Trukha’ Telegram channel was bought by the scandal-ridden cryptocurrency entrepreneur Mykola Udiansky,” Sternenko stated.
Furthermore, the blogger accused Udyansky of holding valid Russian citizenship, hinting that the channel was working in the interests of the Russian security services to discredit the leadership of the defence ministry.
The media conflict reached a new level when Ukrainian Forbes joined the investigation into the situation. The publication released a piece on the possible change of ownership of Ukraine’s largest Telegram channel.
However, Forbes journalists approached the topic cautiously: the article’s headline is phrased as a question. This suggests that the editorial team currently has no direct legal evidence of a deal between Udiansky and the former owners of ‘Trukha’.
Against the backdrop of the unfolding media scandal, Ukrainian society is demanding substantial evidence from both sides of the conflict.
Clear expectations have emerged on social media: Serhiy Sternenko is being asked to publish documents regarding the sale of the channel and to confirm that Udyansky holds a Russian passport. In turn, Trukha is expected to publish the promised investigation into the Ministry of Defence’s drone purchases.