AntAC wins Supreme Court case against Portnov: claim about pro-Russian activities does not require refutation
The Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) has won its case against Russian agent Portnov in the Supreme Court. The court confirmed that the claim that he was linked to pro-Russian activities does not require refutation.
Censor.NET reports this.
Details
"The Cassation Civil Court within the Supreme Court overturned the ruling of Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District Court, issued by Judge Serhii Vovk, as well as the appellate ruling in Andrii Portnov’s case against the Anti-Corruption Action Center.
Back in 2023, Portnov sued the Anti-Corruption Action Center, demanding that the court recognize that he was not a pro-Russian figure and prohibit calling him a collaborator, a traitor, or an accomplice of the Russian Federation," the statement says.
The lawsuit concerned a column by the Anti-Corruption Action Center and Avtomaidan in which Portnov was mentioned among individuals against whom the state could impose sanctions over their pro-Russian activities.
"Judge Vovk granted that claim. This ruling was an example of how courts are used to pressure civil society organizations and the media, forcing them to abandon critical assessments and restricting freedom of speech on matters of public interest.
And now the Supreme Court has overturned the rulings of the Pecherskyi court and the appellate court. Importantly, Judge Vovk’s ruling was overturned precisely because it was unlawful, not because of Portnov’s death.
If the Supreme Court had considered the ruling lawful, it would have left it in force despite the plaintiff’s death. Instead, the court directly removed that ruling from the legal field. Portnov is no longer alive, but that did not prevent us from winning the case against him," they concluded.
Portnov’s lawsuits
It was reported in 2023 that Portnov had sued the Anti-Corruption Action Center over a publication that described him as a pro-Russian politician.
Portnov also sued journalists and the editor-in-chief of Censor.NET over the description of him as a "collaborator and traitor."
It is known that Portnov demanded that the Cabinet of Ministers remove a petition calling for sanctions to be imposed on him.
Murder of Andrii Portnov
- On 21 May 2025, Andrii Portnov, former deputy head of Yanukovych's administration, was killed in the Spanish city of Posuelo de Alarcón.
- The Ukrainian Embassy in Spain is in constant contact with local law enforcement agencies regarding the murder of former deputy head of Yanukovych's administration, Portnov.
- The judge in Spain investigating the murder has ruled to keep the investigation materials confidential.
- The publication "UP" reported that Andrii Portnov, a shadow curator of the courts and a lawyer close to the fugitive ex-president, was in Ukraine a few days before the murder in Madrid and met with top officials responsible for the work of law enforcement agencies.
- On 25 February, it became known that a suspect in Portnov’s killing had been detained.
- Portnov is known to be the head of a criminal-political group within the Ukrainian government.
- In 2021, the US imposed sanctions against Portnov.
