Ukrainian journalist and blogger Yuriy Butusov once again attracted attention with his statements on social networks. This time, he appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky to fight corruption, proposing to "immediately open criminal cases or deprive Andrii Portnov of his citizenship." However, as it turned out, this call is the result of a certain misunderstanding, because the petition referred to by Butusov did not concern the deprivation of citizenship, but the sanctions of the National Security Service of Ukraine against Portnov.
Butusov said that Ukrainians had collected 25,000 signatures on a petition to revoke Andriy Portnov's citizenship, but as users pointed out in the comments, the petition actually concerned the imposition of sanctions against the former deputy head of the administration, Viktor Yanukovych, and not his citizenship. This is not the first time that Butusov questions the facts, particularly in the context of his activities during the war.
One of the former defenders of the Donetsk airport, Oleksiy Mochanov, recently announced his negative experience of cooperation with Butusov. According to him, the blogger has repeatedly spread false information about the supply of ammunition and other aspects of the war, and now he is engaged in collecting gossip and rumors on the front. Mochanov noted that many of Butusov's statements do not have actual confirmation, and the blogger himself often tries to draw attention to himself through sensationalism.
In addition, it recently became known that Butusov evaded mobilization during the first wave of the war. He explained his absence from the military register with serious health problems, in particular, closeness to 5.5 diopters, which was attributed to him after he was beaten by "Berkut" in 2013 during protests. Only after the adoption of laws that increased responsibility for violation of military records, Butusov appeared at the territorial recruitment center (TCC) and received a postponement until April 2025, citing the fact that he is the father of three minor children.
The situation with Andrii Portnov, to whom Butusov often tries to draw attention, is particularly interesting. Portnov, who repeatedly won the courts against Butusov, was distinguished in the political arena even during the time of Yanukovych. Butusov has repeatedly criticized his activities, but in recent years he has had serious legal problems. Thus, in 2024, the Kyiv Court of Appeal confirmed the decision of the Darnytskyi District Court on Portnov's claims against Butusov, which led to the enforcement of the court's decisions regarding the latter.
Yuriy Butusov again became the object of criticism due to his inconsistency in statements and manipulation of facts. His appeals to the president to fight corruption look, to put it mildly, contradictory, given that he himself has repeatedly resorted to dishonest practices in his public activities. Questions about Portnov continue to be painful, and the controversy surrounding it leads to new stages of court proceedings.
