Clara Zid, December 2025
“Kharkiv is attacked almost daily by enemy missiles, drones, and guided aviation bombs, and more recently, by reactive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aviation bombs.” Olena Hetmanenko is the Technical Director of the Kharkiv Anticorruption Centre (KhAC).
Almost the entire KhAC team has gone to war. Some were drafted, others joined the army voluntarily. Work processes have been disrupted, and the loss of the most technically skilled staff member, who was recruited by the army, has left a gap in in-house technical capabilities.
In the first days of the full-scale invasion, the team was forced to evacuate their families from Kharkiv which was under intense shelling. Shortly thereafter, a missile strike occurred next to their office resulting in civilian causalities. For safety reasons the team switched to a remote working format, but their office remains open in central Kharkiv.
While a few staff members have relocated to neighboring European countries, the majority is scattered across Ukraine in cities that are under constant bombardment, The staff that is still based in Kharkiv, where most of the team used to live, is particularly targeted due to its proximity to the Russian border. The state ban on the movement of the male population due to military operations poses another challenge to the team, as they are unable to meet in person.
Another challenge to their work is the unpredictable power cuts. “The Russian army is deliberately destroying the energy infrastructure; power outages can last for a day or longer, so at times we are left without electricity and communication,” Olena says.
Olena explains that KhAC has also come under growing pressure from national authorities following a series of incidents targeting its director, Dmytro Bulakh. In April 2024, Bulakh discovered a hidden video surveillance system aimed directly at the door of his apartment. The finding came after months of suspicion that he was being monitored: for nearly eight months, he had repeatedly noticed the same vehicle following him across Kharkiv. The discovery occurred just days after officers from the State Bureau of Investigation and Ukraine’s Intelligence Agency searched Bulakh’s home. During the raid, authorities demanded information about his military service and seized his mobile phone.
Olena explains that these actions are part of a broader pattern of pressure and intimidation against anti-corruption activists and investigative journalists in Ukraine, and points to similar cases involving the investigative outlet Bihus.Info, anti-corruption activist Vitalii Shabunin, journalist Yevhenii Shulhat of Slidstvo.info, and Oleksandr Salizhenko of the civic movement CHESNO, among others. “These actions reflect a dangerous trend of persecution of civil society,” Olena adds.
Ethical journalism in war times
KhAC used to focus on exposing corruption in the region. However, since the war broke out, they have also been debunking Russian propaganda and tracking the activities of collaborators working with the Russian occupiers.
One of KhAC’s latest investigations uncovered and brought public attention to the work of a lawyer suspected of collaborating with Russian intelligence. The case drew enough scrutiny to eventually lead to his arrest by Ukraine’s Security Service.
“KhAC was the first to identify his links to Russian intelligence, describing his role in recruiting collaborators, and document evidence of his cooperation with the GRU, the Russia’s military intelligence agency,” Olana explains.
Another area in which KhAC excels is dealing with the growing amount of disinformation from Russia: “Our team checks every claim using official data, public registries, satellite images, and reputable sources; when information is missing or blocked, we look for additional evidence and consult experts.”
They also publish explanations that show how disinformation works: “This helps people recognize manipulation on their own.” In addition, they collaborate with media, such as Detector Media, and international organizations to spread verified information.
“Ethical journalism in times of war means remembering that every story involves real people who are living through trauma.”
In all cases, “maintaining objectivity in the middle of a war is challenging, but it is essential.” According to Olena, objectivity does not mean being neutral about aggression or pretending that both sides are equal. “It means being honest, relying on verified facts, and clearly separating evidence from personal emotions.”
For Olena, ethical journalism in times of war means “checking every detail, protecting sources, and avoiding information that could harm civilians or the military.” It also means not publishing rumors and not amplifying propaganda. Olena points out: “Most of all, ethical journalism means remembering that every story involves real people who are living through trauma. Respect, accuracy, and responsibility are more important than speed.
Living in the middle of a war has affected the team in many ways. “The war has had a strong impact on the team’s emotional well-being, but we have also learned how to live through it, it has become a part of everyday life”. Olena explains, “we are not only colleagues but also friends, each of us is ready to help another.” Last year, their partners organized a psychotherapy retreat for the team. “This kind of support helps with team cohesion and maintaining focus on our mission.”
“Over time KhAC grew into a powerful player in the anti-corruption sector”
The idea to create the Kharkiv Anticorruption Center emerged in 2015, when Kharkiv was one of the most corrupt cities in Ukraine. Over time KhAC grew into a powerful player in the anti-corruption sector and, step by step, the city of Kharkiv began introducing changes, Olena explains. Today the city is developing its first Anticorruption Strategy, coordinated by KhAC co-founder Yevhen Lisichkin.
A team of well-known anti-corruption actors
Olena was born in a small town in the Kherson region, which is currently under Russian occupation. In her 20s, she moved to Kharkiv to study economic cybernetics. After graduating, she went straight to the Kharkiv regional television station to ask if they needed any journalists.
“I went into journalism after the Orange Revolution in 2004. I was a university student at the time and saw firsthand how administrative pressure worked and how unfair elections could be. It was a trigger for me.” explains Olena.
The Orange Revolution was a wave of public demonstrations that shook Ukraine between late November 2004 and January 2005. It grew out of a broad, citizen-driven push-back after the run-off of the 2004 presidential election, which many people believed had been deeply compromised by corruption, pressure on voters and widespread fraud.
After 15 years working in television, newspapers and online outlets, Olena finally landed at KhAC.
The team of KhAC includes a number of well-known names from the Ukrainian anti-corruption sphere, several of them were active members in the Orange Revolution (2004) and later the Revolution of Dignity (2014). The team is lead by director Dmytro Bulakh, a prominent activist known for his work exposing local corruption, who is currently serving in the National Guard of Ukraine. Other members include co-funder Yevhen Lisichkin – a frequent invited speaker at investigative journalism events, Pavlo Novyk – recipient of the the “Honor of the Profession” journalism award in 2021 and Volodymyr Rysenko – KhAC’s in-house lawyer to mention a few.
Director Dmytro Bulakh is also a member of the city council. Thanks to his efforts, a working group was recently created in Kharkiv to audit architectural monuments destroyed or damaged by Russian forces.
The idea took shape after the first attacks on historic buildings. Until then, the debris from damaged architectural landmarks was simply hauled away to landfills, which meant that materials essential for future restoration were disappearing for good.
From that moment, the goal became to save whatever could still be recovered, record every fragment and detail, and make sure the city could eventually be rebuilt in a way that honors its architectural legacy.
KhAC began a joint project with the Urban Development Platform to audit and preserve the remaining cultural heritage of Kharkiv, but the project was not completed due to the termination of USAID funding.
“We had to close two large projects, we were forced to significantly reduce expenses and let some staff go”
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was the world’s largest foreign aid agency, but it received major cutbacks in 2025. Many civil society organizations were heavily affected after USAID withdrew its support.
“Due to the dismantling of USAID, we were forced to shut down two major projects. We had to significantly reduce expenses and let some staff go, and our team’s salaries were also reduced,” Olena explains. At the moment, they operate thanks to grants from National Endowment for Democracy, the European Union, NORAD and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
Due to the lack of human and financial resources, the team is currently focused on its core institutional activity – monitoring public spending. Their role in this field is especially important now when both government funds and international aid are being allocated for the reconstruction of the region and the entire country.
Olena believes that after the war, KhAC’s will play an important role because Ukraine will face huge reconstruction, and local media will help to ensure that rebuilding is transparent, fair, and free from corruption.
In the meantime, what gives the team hope is to believe in Ukraine’s ability to defend its independence and to build strong democratic values. “This is what helps us get through the daily routine” Olena concludes.
Kharkiv Anticorruption Centre is hosted with VirtualRoad.org since 2024.